


Loving You

by Apollos_Meatballs



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, First Love, I'm my own beta, Imprinting, OC is kinda the matchmaker between edward and bella bc edward is a shy boy, POV Third Person, Twilight Renaissance, a cullen and a quileute wolf in love, alice loves being auntie alice, baby cullen, bella and OC are friends too, carlisle and esme are overjoyed to be grandpa/grandma, did someone say twilight renaissance, domestic cullen family, emmett is a protective dad, emmett is an overprotective dad, giving Leah and Rose the arcs they deserve, good ones too, i tried to make it more realistic so cursing is involved, jasper and edward are uncles, not too foul language tho, rosalie and emmett are parents, rosalie is a damn good mom, starts with twilight, they love their babygirl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 113,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24794623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apollos_Meatballs/pseuds/Apollos_Meatballs
Summary: Ashley Cullen was just a baby when she and her birth parents were in a horrible car accident. Rosalie Hale and Emmett Cullen happened to be by the area when they smelled the heavy blood and heard one still-beating heart. Sadly, Ashley's parents died but she survived. Having fallen in love with the baby, Rosalie couldn't bear to let her go so the Cullen family ended up adopting her.Keeping their living routine the same the Cullen's life got better with the little kid addition to their family. Until they moved back to the little small town called Forks in Washington where the city caused trouble for not one but for the whole family.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Jared Cameron/Kim Connweller, Past Sam Uley/Leah Clearwater, Paul Lahote/Original Female Character(s), Sam Uley/Emily Young
Comments: 150
Kudos: 131





	1. Prologue

Rosalie had just finished off her prey, a bear, when she smelled the overflowing blood coming nearby. " Emmett," she faintly said. She didn't need to say anything else, Emmett had smelled it as well. He gave her a concerned look. " Human," was all he said. Rosalie bit her lip as she eyed Emmett. She knew her mate well, even though he had been a vampire for a long time, he might still not be able to control himself. Judging by the power of the blood, it couldn't have been something small." I think we should check it up," she said hesitantly. Emmett gave her wife a quick nod and they started running.

When they reached the source of the blood, they were in the middle of the road. A car was flipped upside down. " Are there any survivors?" Rosalie asked. Her mate didn't answer and they walked to the car. " As far as I can see there are two adults, dead," he said and looked at Rosalie at his last word. They stood there for a while. " Wait," Rosalie said as she interrupted the silence, " do you hear that?" she asked. It was a heartbeat. It was very faint however it was there.

Emmett quickly walked by the car and kneeled. " There's a baby!" he exclaimed. Rosalie rushed to his side, kneeling next to him and taking a look at the baby. " Quick, we need to call for help! The baby could still survive!" she shouted at her mate. Emmett took out his phone and dialed the emergency number. Meanwhile, Rosalie opened the car door and reached inside. The baby was inside the carriage and didn't seem much shaken, despite the situation. Her head seemed fine. 

Rosalie took the baby in her arms and got out of the car. By that time Emmett was done with the call and went to Rosalie's side. The baby's face was frowning but the instant her eyes saw the concerned adults' a smile formed on her little face. The couple was mesmerized by the little baby as she giggled at them. They played with the baby until the help came.

Rosalie and Emmett were waiting by the ambulance as the doctors examined the little baby. Police had come as well and they covered the crime scene. Two detectives walked up to them. " Mr. and Mrs. Cullen?" The older one asked the couple. They nodded. " You two called the accident in?" the same man asked them. Rosalie nodded. They didn't have much time to find a good cover-up story. They didn't have one of their cars with them and couldn't just say they were walking. 

Thankfully, the detectives didn't question them much as they believed there were no ulterior motives. Emmett had told them that they were camping nearby and heard the noise. As their interrogation ended they heard the detectives talking. " The parents' names were Josh and Christen Evans. Their six months old daughter, Ashley Evans is the only survivor. According to the system, she doesn't have any living relatives that could take her in. The baby is being taken to the hospital until the morning where the social services can get her and put her into the system,". 

Rosalie instantly looked up to her mate with glowing eyes. " Rose," Emmett began but was shushed when they heard the baby giggling from the ambulance. He sighed. " I know," Rosalie said, " but didn't you feel the same connection?" she asked him. Emmett looked towards the ambulance. The doctor was playing with Ashley and she was giggling. A smile formed on Emmett's lips. " This could be our chance you know, to be a real family," Rosalie said again. Emmett didn't even need any persuasion, the second his eyes met Ashley's he fell in love with her. " Let's get home and talk to everyone," Emmett said. 

" What? No! Absolutely not!" Edward said the second they walked into their house. " Edward," Carlisle said calmly, " not everyone has the gift that you do so please allow them to explain," Carlisle continued. " What took you guys so long?" Esme questioned her children. Rosalie and Emmett shared a look and their eyes were glowing. " Oh my god, you guys are killing me," Edward groaned. Alice shushed him as she and her mate walked in, holding hands. Alice walked up to her sister. " I think it's a great idea, Rose!" Alice exclaimed and gave her sister a hug. Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper looked at them in wonder. Alice probably saw it with one of her visions and Edward heard it both from Alice and the glowing couple. 

" Alright," Emmett started, " so, when we were finished hunting, we smelled blood. Human blood and very heavy. We were concerned and we're sure we could control ourselves. So we went to check it. It was a car accident. The adults were dead but then we heard a heartbeat, a very faint one. It was a baby. Luckily she wasn't harmed. We called for help and as we waited for them checked on the baby. The parents are dead and they have no living relatives, she's going to be put into the system tomorrow morning," Emmett finished. Rosalie examined as Esme's expression turned into a sad one by each word. " Oh, poor baby," she said. 

" And, you guys want to adopt it?" Edward questioned them. The couple nodded. " Yes, you guys should meet her. She captures you in a second," Emmett said. Then the whole family turned to Carlisle. " Carlisle, what do you think?" Rosalie asked him. Carlisle took a deep breath even though he didn't need to have one, the act simply let him relax. " Are you positive she doesn't have anywhere to go?" he asked them. Rosalie nodded her head. Carlisle looked at her mate and got a smile as a response. " I think we should put it onto a vote, to keep it democratic," he suggested. 

" I vote yes," Alice exclaimed and rushed over to Rosalie and Emmett's side. " I'd like a granddaughter," Esme said as she walked to her children. " Cmon, doesn't anyone really think a human baby living with seven vampires is a bad idea?" Edward said hastily. If she weren't doing it until that point, Rosalie was surely shooting daggers through her eyes at Edward. " I do," Jasper said, joining Edward's side. " I can't make any promises, it's a baby, anything can happen," he said. Edward smirked. " Finally, someone who thinks logically in this house!" 

Everyone looked at Carlisle. He was the last one standing. " I mean, it's obvious what's going to happen, even if I choose your side Edward, the numbers are clear," Carlisle said slowly as the boys groaned. " Fucking perfect!" Edward mouthed.

" She's fucking perfect!" Edward exclaimed the second she held the little baby in his arms. He was frowning since Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle left the house in the morning. When they arrived with a little baby in their arms everyone but Jasper swooned over her. After a debate, Esme gave the little baby to his arms and in that second Edward was too in love with the little baby. 

" See? It's not so bad when you stop being a jerk," Alice chuckled as she watched her brother looking at the baby. Edward chuckled as well. " I, I, she's perfect, I don't know why I was so against it, now that I hold her in my arms, I don't know if I'll ever be able to let her go," he said. Esme chuckled. " Well, you have to unless you want to get beaten by the father," Esme said to his son. Rosalie walked to Edward and took her new daughter into her arms. " Welcome to the family Ashley Cullen," she whispered to the little baby.


	2. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I started writing this a while back very eagerly and willingly. I wrote about 70% of it but then got uninterested suddenly. I'm bringing it back so that maybe if other people like it I might get the urge to continue this story again. Twilight was my first fandom and I love it dearly, I'd love to finish this story someday. Please tell me how you feel!

Ashley practically ran through the doors to reach her family. She had been on a Europe winter trip for the last month. Even though she had fun she terribly missed her family. " Ashley!" She heard the familiar feminine voice. All of her family was at the door, waiting for her. It didn't take long for her to crush herself into her parents' arms. " I missed you guys so much!" 

After long hugs with everyone, they were finally able to get to the car. " I have so many things to tell you guys!" Ashley said with a big smile on her face. Her aunt Alice grabbed her arm. " And you can start telling it right now," she said sweetly.

Emmett, Rosalie, Ashley, Edward, and Alice were in one car. Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper were in the other. " All of the cities I've been to were amazing, the building and the history were just like how grandpa described!" Ashley said as she put her belt on. Alice chuckled. " That's nice to hear but I'd like to know about your adventures on particularly other things," Alice said with a smirk on her face. Ashley blushed as she eyed her dad glaring at them from the mirror. " Oh, well, uhm, " she started, " There might have been some exciting events," she finished. Alice shouted like a small girl. " I knew it!"

" Tell me that the European guys are just like how they tell they are in the books and TV," Alice said again. Ashley chuckled. " Well, Auntie, they certainly know how to use their tongues, and," Ashley started but was soon cut off by Edward's and her dad's groan. All the females in the car chuckled. Alice winked at her niece. " We'll just talk about all the details when they're out," she said. 

When they pulled up to their house in Forks everyone could hear Ashley's growling empty stomach. " I guess it's a good thing I cooked all of your favorite things," Esme said chuckling. A huge smiled formed upon Ashley's face. " Grandma, you're the best grandma anyone could ask for!" Ashley exclaimed and ran inside to house to be greeted by the delicious food.

Ashley was seventeen and was about to start her second semester as a junior at the school. " Hey mom," Ashley said while she was eating. " I know that the school is starting soon," she started but her mom cut her off. " I know sweetheart, we got you your stuff while we were taking ours," she said. Ashley chuckled. " And who thought going to school with your parents was such a bad thing?" she said. Her mom chuckled with her.

Ashley knew that all of her family were vampires, it didn't take a genius to figure out. They didn't age, didn't eat, were incredibly strong, had super-senses and pulled all-nighters all the time. Pulling all-nighters came in handy when she wanted to marathon a movie franchise or finish a TV series, she had to admit that. Ashley wasn't scared or anything when she found out. They were her family and besides, she grew up with TV shows that romanticized supernatural beings. If anything, she was living in a book or a movie most teenage girls would kill to live in.

After she was done eating Ashley and her mom, Rosalie joined the rest of their family in the living room. They all wanted to hear their little precious Ashley's adventures, minus the romance part for the sake of Emmett, Edward, and Jasper.

" Grandpa, Europe was just like you described! The history is still alive there!" Ashley exclaimed. Carlisle chuckled. " Well, I am glad you enjoyed yourself, honey," he said. " But my favorite was the British History Museum like you suggested," Ashley continued. Their conversation lasted for a little while, all of them asking questions and Ashley eventually showing the pictures. When they landed on a particular picture where a teenage boy had his arm wrapped around Ashley's waist and was kissing her cheek, Emmett almost broke the phone. " Dad!" Ashley exclaimed loudly as her mom and aunt Alice giggled. " Is that the guy?" Aunt Alice asked Ashley with a wink. Ashley blushed. " Yes," she responded. 

Their conversation went a bit longer until Ashley started yawning. " Alright, I'll call it a night, for now, school's starting tomorrow and I don't want to look hideous for the start of my junior year," Ashley said. She earned a few chuckles. " You could never be hideous," Edward replied to her. Ashley rolled her eyes. " Yeah, you'd say that all of you look gorgeous and we all know why," she joked. Edward rolled his eyes in response, " Yeah but you outshine all of us," he replied. Ashley hit his arm. " Thank you, uncle Eddy," she responded. She got up from the couch and started walking towards her bedroom. Then she turned around, " I guess that's why all the boys are after me," she said while pulling out her tongue. She earned glares from all her uncles and dad. With getting the response she wanted to get she finally reached her bed.

" Auntie, cmon', we're going to be late," Ashley said. Alice loved dressing up Ashley. Ashley liked it too. Of course, she wasn't this naive girl who was obsessed with makeup and clothes but she liked taking care of herself. However, this morning her aunt was taking a particularly long time finding her something to wear. 

Finally, Alice had picked what she thought was best for her niece and let her wear it. Then she proceeded on her make-up and hair. It didn't take her aunt a long time to be finished. As soon as they were done they rushed to the garage where the others were waiting on them. " Finally!" Jasper said. Ashley shrugged. " Beauty takes time uncle!" she responded. 

Emmett tossed the keys to her daughter. " Wait! What?" Ashley responded in shock. She looked at to the keys in her hands and then her father. " Really?" she exclaimed. Her father nodded and Ashley threw herself in his arms. " Oh my god, thanks, dad!" 

Ashley had taken her driving license last year and she has gifted a beautiful car. However, her family never let her drive without one of them present with her and not certainly to school. Even though she was a good driver she was still considered an amateur compared to them. And now her dad finally let her drive to school by giving the keys to her. She hopped on to the car with her mom sitting next to her. Her dad and uncle Edward sat in the back seat. She tossed her backpack to her dad and put on her belt. She adjusted the mirrors. " Buckle up everyone!"

As soon as they hit the road Ashley opened music. Her mother already knew what were her favorite songs and she opened her current favorite. Ashley maxed the volume and started singing it. Soon everyone joined her and they rode to school with big smiles on their faces.

Parking was the only dreadful thing Ashley loathed about driving. Sure she knew how to do it and the parking area on Forks High School wasn't as crowded but it was still parking. " Okay, I'll get it perfect this time," she mumbled knowing her family could hear it. This time with her dad's instructions she was done. " I think I may need some practice," she said as she shut off the car and went out. 

After she went out she spotted her friend Angela Weber standing next to her friends. Until she got to high school Ashley always had her own group but now that she was with her family she hung out with them. However, her family didn't want her missing the teenage life so they encouraged her to make new friends. Ashley had a group of her own but she also spent time with her family as well. " Okay guys, I'm sure we'll bump into each other sometime in the day, so bye," Ashley said a quick goodbye to her family and walked towards her friend Angela.

Angela was standing next to Jessica and Mike. " Hey guys," she said greeting them. She got responses from them. " Hey Ashley, I love what you did with your hair," Jessica said. Ashley smiled. " Thanks, Jessica," she said. " You have to tell me about your trip in Chemistry!" Angela said, gaining Ashley's attention. She chuckled. " Sure, but I don't think one hour would let me finish it,"

Hours passed by quickly and it was time for lunch. Until then Ashley had classes with her mom, uncle Jasper, and aunt Alice. Her family hadn't come by the cafeteria so Ashley was sitting with Angela and her friends. " Hey Ashley, that's the new student, Bella," Angela introduced the girl. Ashley formed a warm smile and reached her hand out to the brunette girl. " Hey, I'm Ashley, welcome to our school," she said. The new girl looked at her face then her hand. She hesitantly shook it. " Hey, I'm Bella," she responded. 

Eric snapped a photo of the new girl and said that it'd be going to the first page of the school newspaper. Bella started to get frustrated and Eric backed off. Bella seemed like a shy girl. They started talking about the newspaper when the rest of the Cullens walked in. Bella's attention quickly went over to them. " Ah, and that's my cue, see you guys later," Ashley said and got up. 

As she got up she could hear Jessica introducing her family to Bella. Her parents smiled at her and she smiled back. Then she went by Edward's side, given he was at the back and alone. " Having a hard first day Eddie boy?" She asked him. A smile curved on his uncle's face and he put his arm over his niece's shoulder. " You have no idea," he responded chuckling.

After they sat at their usual table Jessica put her lunch to her table. Normally she ate of the cafeteria but the leftovers from yesterday were present, granted she was the only one who ate food at the house and she couldn't finish everything she cooked. " Oh my god, I love grandma's food," she said after taking a huge bite off of her food. " Glad you like her cooking," her dad commented. 

Ashley was extra careful when she addressed her family in public. To the outside world, she was just another kid who got adopted by Carlisle and Esme Cullen. She was the supposed sibling to her parents, uncles, and aunt. 

As she ate and watched her family members pretend to eat, her eyes started to wander around. They finally landed on Bella, the new girl, checking out her table. She waved her hand at her with a smile on her face but Bella quickly turned around. " What was that?" Jasper asked with an amused look on his face. He usually didn't have that face when he was in school because of all the humans around. " Just the new girl," Ashley responded. " She was checking here, probably our hot bachelor Eddie and got caught," she said with a smirk. 

Edward rolled his eyes at her niece. " Very funny Ashley," he said, " Really, you should be on TV," he continued. Ashley shrugged. " Nah, you'd miss me and my remarks too much," she responded. Everyone at the table giggled at the interaction and Edward ended up throwing her niece one of his pens. " Ouch!" Ashley exclaimed as she continued on laughing. Then she reached and grabbed her father's fries, which he wasn't even eating at all, and threw a bunch of them at Edward. 

" Hey!" Edward said but Ashley was too occupied by laughing at her uncle. " Edward, if you don't want the spaghetti too, I suggest you stop messing with my daughter," Rosalie said with a smile on her face. Edward put two of his hand in the air, motioning his surrender. " Ha-ha, yes! I win!" Ashley said.

Rest of the day went by quickly and Ashley was waiting by the car for her family. Her parents were the first ones to reach her. " Hey kiddo," her dad said. She smiled at her father. " Alice and Jasper already left," her mom said. Ashley looked at the empty parking space in front of her. " Yeah, I figured," she responded. Now, they were only waiting for Edward. 

They got into the car and Ashley opened a song with a low sound as they waited for her uncle. " So, what's up with uncle Edward?" he asked her parents. Her mom furrowed her eyebrows. " What do you mean, honey?" she asked. Ashley shrugged. " I saw him two hours ago and he didn't even acknowledge me, he just passed me in the hall," Ashley responded. 

Usually, when Edward spotted her niece in the halls, if she was alone or with one friend, he'd mess with her or at least give a smirk. " Huh, really?" his dad asked. Ashley nodded. " Yeah, it was really weird. He seemed really angry and I think his eyes were black, like, you know, that time of the week," Ashley finished. Her parents looked at each other. 

However, before anyone else said anything the back door opened. Edward tossed his belongings. " I am going hunting," he said quickly and closed the door. He turned around and started walking towards the woods. " See what I mean?" Ashley said. Her parents shared another look as Ashley sighed. "Do you guys think it's me? Maybe I went too harsh?" Ashley asked her parents. Her mother quickly shook her head. " Cmon kiddo, you know your uncle, he can't get mad at you,"her father said. " Let's just go home, I am sure he'll explain later," Rosalie said.

It didn't take them long to reach home. Esme was already cooking something new for her granddaughter. " Grandma, you're spoiling me!" Ashley exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen. Esme chuckled. " Well, only the best for my favorite granddaughter," she responded. Ashley rolled her eyes. " Yeah, well, I am your only granddaughter," she said. 

When Ashley was about to finish her food she caught a glimpse of Jasper. " Uncle Jasp!" she shouted. He was by her side shortly. " Yeah?" her uncle asked her. Ashley put on her puppy eyes. " I already have homework today, and it's about the Civil War," Ashley said. Jasper smirked. " And you'd like the help of me, who was in the war," he responded. Ashley nodded with an innocent smile on her face. " Well, how could I refuse after that?" he said.

Thanks to her uncle's wide knowledge about the topic, Ashley's homework was done quickly. She, Jasper and Alice was now watching TV. " Oh, it's the new episode!" Ashley exclaimed as she hopped next to the couple with popcorn. 

" Is this the vampire show?" Jasper asked with a frown on his face. " Yes, and this episode she wakes up as one. In the last one she made out with her boyfriend's brother, I saw it in the trailer!" Ashley exclaimed. Jasper rolled her eyes at her niece. " You actually know that the real vampires aren't like that, so why do you keep on watching?" her uncle asked her. Before Ashley could answer Alice increased the volume. " Because of the hot boys, honey," Alice said as she kissed her husband's cheek. " And the drama," Ashley said, kissing his other cheek. " Alright, I guess I can't argue with that," Jasper said as he leaned down on the sofa and started watching the show.

The show was almost over when Edward came back. Of course, Ashley didn't know it until Esme sighed and said, " He's back,". Rosalie shut off the TV and they all looked at Edward. " I need to go," he said quickly. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. She knew her parents sad it wasn't her but seeing her uncle like that, now she knew it wasn't her. There were times when Ashley seriously talked back at her uncle and he never got like this. " Edward, what's going on?" Carlisle asked his son, walking up to him. Edward didn't answer and closed his eyes. Carlisle motioned to put his hand over his shoulder but Edward quickly shoved him away, causing him to fall. " Shit," Ashley mumbled under her breath. " Ashley, honey, go to your room, now," her mother said quickly and Ashley listened. 

Ashley had never seen his uncle Edward like this. Sure, everyone lost their temper at some point but this was new. She couldn't help but wonder what had gotten his uncle act in this way.

After a while, shortly after the shouting ended, Ashley heard a soft knock on her door. " Hey," she heard Edward's voice. " Hey, come in," Ashley responded. " I am sorry for the way I acted, you didn't deserve to see it," Edward said as he closed the door and sat on Ashley's bed. Ashley shrugged. " It's okay," she said. " I know how you can get when it's your time of the month," she continued and soon a pillow hit her face. She chuckled alongside her uncle. 

" I am leaving," Edward said. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " Yeah, I heard that much," she responded. " For how long?" she continued. Edward shrugged. " I don't know, a couple of days, a week maybe, maybe longer," Edward replied. Ashley instantly frowned. Edward reached out and gave his niece a long hug. " I'll be back before you know it," he said. Ashley couldn't help but chuckle but she nodded. " Fine, take care of yourself," she said. Edward kissed his forehead and left. Ashley sighed as she tried to sleep. It was going to be weird without her uncle around.


	3. Two

Days went by quickly and eventually became weeks. Ashley missed Edward, all of her family did but they tried not to show it, especially around Ashley. 

History was her last lesson before the lunch break and Ashley threw her stuff to the table in frustration. " Hey, kiddo, what has gotten into you?" her father asked her. Ashey groaned. " You cannot possibly believe what Mrs.Ryland gave out as a project!" Ashley responded. She liked Mrs.Ryland's lesson, history. Other than her family witnessing most part of history, she really enjoyed the past. Learning about it made her feel closer to her family and knowing about their lives before her. But the teacher, not very much.

" Cmon, what could be that bad?" Jasper asked her with a smirk. Ashley rolled her eyes. " She wants us to get to know our local history better. So she wanted us to be in groups and research. I got paired with Bella and guess what is our topic. The tribe. Quil, something. We need to go to by La Push and get some photos with the natives and all. So, nothing I can copy off the internet," Ashley said.

She realized her family getting stirred up by the mention of the name. " Uhm, Quileute?" Rosalie asked her daughter. Ashley nodded. Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows. " Oh, absolutely not!" her mother exclaimed loudly. " Rose," Emmett started but Rosalie shut him with her glares. " Emmett, do you honestly expect me to let our daughter into there?" Rosalie asked her husband.

" Uh, hey, hello, what's up?" Ashley asked, interrupting her parents. Everyone turned to her with bitter expressions on their faces. Ashley waited for an answer but none of them spoke up. Ashley sighed. " Can't you switch the topic?" her father asked her. Ashley shook her head. " I don't think so, and, what is it that you're not telling me?" she asked again, this time expecting an answer. 

The answer didn't come, again, and Ashley sighed in frustration. " Fine, have your adult secrets," she said angrily as she got up. She walked over to Angela's table. " Hey guys, do you mind if I sit?" she asked them. After the acceptance, she quickly sat down. " Hey," Angela said to her. Ashley turned to her friend. " Is everything alright?" Angela asked her. She shrugged. " Because your siblings are looking over here and they do not look happy," Angela said.

Ashley turned around and looked at her family. Especially her mom seemed furious. She turned back. " Yeah, we're just arguing over something," she said. Then Ashley turned to Bella. " Hey Bella, how should we do the history project?" she asked Bella. If her parents didn't want to tell her Ashley was sure as hell that she was going to find out herself. 

" Uhm, I actually have a friend who lives there, maybe we can ask for his help," Bella responded. Ashley smiled. " Great, when can we go?" Ashley asked Bella. Bella shrugged. " I don't know, whenever you're free, I guess, I am sure Jacob's not busy," Bella answered. Ashley leaned back on her chair and smiled. She knew damn well that her parents were listening to her conversation. " Super, can we go today, after school?"

It took a lot of effort to avoid her parents, but Ashley managed to get on Bella's truck and they started driving. Bella had called his friend and he was okay with them coming. While they were driving Ashley's phone blew up with calls from her family and she ignored all of them. When she caught a break, she quickly texted them, letting them know of her whereabouts.

Bella pulled outside of a small house. They quickly got out of the car and walked to the house. The door was already open and a boy with long black hair was standing. " Hello Jacob," Bella greeted the boy. " Hello," the boy said and then turned to Ashley. He reached his hand out. " Hello, I am Jacob Black," he introduced himself. Ashley grabbed his hand. " Ashley," she replied.

They went inside to the living room. There was a man with a wheelchair. " This is my dad, Billy, he knows much more about than I do, so I figured he could help," Jacob said. " Hello girls," Billy said. " I'd be happy to help however there's much to discuss and it can't be on an empty stomach, would you guys like to get out to get some food?" Billy asked them. 

Half an hour later they were on a diner. On the way, they told them about their project. Billy seemed happy by the project, getting the youngsters onto their history. " I think it's a wonderful idea," Billy had said. Seeing the response from Ashley actually made her more encouraged towards the project.

After they ordered Billy started to tell them about their history. The legends of their tribe, as he called them. It started from how they were first formed onto now, mentioning some chief named Taka Aki. Ashley was interested in that person. He was a warrior. A soul-warrior as Billy put it. " Wow, these are some interesting stuff," Ashley said as Billy finished. Jacob put his hand on his father's shoulder, " Well, they are just legends, they're not real," he said with a smile on his lips. Billy gave him a small glare but Ashley caught it.

However before she could act on it, they heard the door opening with a loud bell. Jacob sighed loudly. " Oh great," he mumbled to the people who came in. Three guys walked in with small shorts and short sleeved shirts. " Wow, aren't they cold, dressed like that?" Ashley asked to the table. They were in Washington for god's sake and it was cold as hell. One of the guys saw them and started walking towards them. The others followed him. " Billy," the guy spoke. " Sam," Billy answered. 

However, Ashley was looking at to the guy standing to Sam's right. His eyes were fixed on her, and it made her uncomfortable. Sam realized Ashley staring at them and when he turned he saw the guy. " Paul," he said but the guy, Paul, didn't stop. " See you later, Billy," Sam quickly said and grabbed Paul's arm, walking outside.

Ashley turned to the table, " Well, that was awkward," she said. Jacob laughed. " Yeah, well, you have no idea," he said. " I know the guys, Paul and Jared, we used to be friends. Until they changed," he said. Bella furrowed her brows. " What do you mean, changed?" She asked Jacob. Jacob shrugged. " They were normal. Then one day Sam disappeared, he came back after a few weeks and acting strange. Soon Paul and Jared were the same, they cut their hair, started hanging around him like lost puppies. People think they're in a cult," Jacob explained to them. 

Billy frowned at him. " Don't say things like that about your brothers," he said to his son. Jacob rolled his eyes. " They're not my brothers, dad, as you keep claiming them to be," he replied. Billy gently flicked his son's head. " We are of the same tribe, same blood, they're your brothers," he said.

Bella leaned over to Ashley. " I think it's time we leave, " she whispered to Ashley. She nodded. " Wait," Bella said when Ashley motioned to leave. " We still have to get some photos," she said reluctantly. Ashley nodded. " Oh yeah, forgot about that," she mumbled. Then she turned to the Black man. " So, we need to get some pictures with the locals, would you guys be up for a selfie?" Ashley asked them.

After taking the photo, excusing themselves and paying for the bill they walked outside. There, they saw the three guys. They looked like they were arguing about something. As they were about to get inside the car, one of the guys shouted at them. They turned around. " Hello," Paul said as he walked up to them. " Sorry for the awkward moment back there, I am Paul," he said. He was looking at Ashley again and it made a twisting feeling arise in her stomach. 

" Hey, no worries, I am Ashley," Ashley said with a huge grin on her face. They shook hands and she was shocked by how warm his hand was. " Wow, you're hot!" she said suddenly. Then she immediately blushed by what she said. A grin was formed in Paul's face. " I mean your body temperature, it's very hot, uhm, warm!" Ashley said, not knowing why she was rambling. Paul chuckled.

"It's okay, I accept it both ways, I'm known to be very hot," he replied making Ashley blush. Their eyes connected once more. As they stared into each other Ashley felt the tingling inside her stomach growing bigger. It was interrupted by a cough. It was from Bella. " Ashley it's getting pretty late, I think we should go," she said. Ashley was turned back into reality and she nodded. 

" Goodbye Paul," she said as she took a step back towards the car. " Bye Ashley, I hope I can see you again," Paul blurted out. Ashley chuckled as she opened the car door. It was his turn to blush now. " We'll see about that," she replied as she got in and closed the door with a smirk on her lips.

Ashley texted her uncle Jasper on the way back to pick her up from Bella's house. Her family didn't want many people to know where their house was exactly located and she didn't want Bella to drive that much considering they went and came back from La Push.

Ashley could see that Bella was having an internal debate with herself. Her fingers have tightly wrapped around the wheel and her brows were furrowed. " Cmon, you can ask me," Ashley said, giving the green light to Bella. She took a deep breath and tried to smile. " Okay," she mumbled.

They weren't close, they met a week ago and talked a few times. Today was the first time they even spend time alone. Bella was sure to have her doubts. " Uhm," she finally spoke, " it's about your brother," she started. Ashley smirked, clearly knowing where the topic was going, but she decided to play dumb. 

" Which one? I have three brothers," she said, emphasizing on the word brothers. Bella pressed her lips together. " Uhm, Edward," she mumbled. Ashley nodded. " Oh, that brother," she said sarcastically. Bella gave her a depressed look and Ashley chuckled. " Fine, fine, ask away," she said while waving her hand on the air. " He hasn't been around, where's he?" Bella asked hesitantly. 

"He's visiting some of our family in the north," Ashley replied nonchalantly. She still didn't really know what was up with her uncle and she missed him terribly. " Oh, well, when will he be back?" Bella asked. Ashley shrugged. " I don't know really, it's up to him, whenever he wants, I suppose," Ashley said, looking out. She wanted him to turn back as soon as possible. " Why?" Ashley suddenly asked Bella, and she was caught in a surprise.

Bella's lips formed the letter 'o' for a while before she answered. " Uhm, well," she started but couldn't quite finish. " We really had a strange encounter, and I was wondering if I did something to offend him," Bella finally said. Ashley shrugged. " I don't know, Eddy boy sure has been acting very strange lately," Ashley replied, not knowing why she blurted that out to practically a stranger. After that, they sat in complete silence.

By the time they reached Bella's house Jasper was already there. " Thanks for the ride Bella, I'll text you later about the project," Ashley said as she waved Bella goodbye and walked to Jasper's car.

She took a deep breath before getting inside. " Hey," she said shyly. Jasper gave her a soft glare as he started driving. " Okay, how mad are they?" Ashley asked her uncle. Jasper shrugged. " Very," he replied. 

Ashley knew her little rebellious act would make her family angry but she was angry at them as well. And in her defense, she was a seventeen year old while her parents were fully functioning adults.

Rosalie and Emmett were at the door already when Jasper parked the car. Unexpectedly, Rosalie hugged her daughter at the sight of her. " Ashley, please, never do something like that, ever again!" Rosalie cried out. Ashley nodded. 

When she walked into the living room Ashley didn't expect to see Edward sitting there. " Eddy boy!" She exclaimed loudly and threw herself at him. Edward chuckled at her response and hugged his niece back. " I am gone for three weeks and you start acting out, miss me really that much?" Edward asked her. Ashley hit his shoulder jokingly and hugged him again. " Seriously, what is that smell?" Edward asked after their hug. " You reek," he said.

Ashley rolled her eyes. " Ha-ha. Very funny," she replied but Edward frowned. " I am not joking, you smell horrible," he said. " I smell it too," Emmett said, joining in their conversation. Soon, all of her family was looking at her with a disgusted face. " Wait, guys, do I really smell that bad?" Ashley asked in disbelief. She started to smell herself but all she could smell was her perfume. " It's just my perfume," Ashley said but Rosalie shook her head. " No, it's not that," she replied. Edward frowned suddenly. " She was with one of them," he said. 

" Ashley!" Rosalie exclaimed in disbelief. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows, " What mom?" She said back. "Who is 'one of them'?" She asked her mother but didn't get an answer back to her. She groaned in frustration and stormed to her room.

After a little while, she heard a knock on her door. " Uncle Jasp, if that's you, I don't want your calmness right now!" Ashley shouted. She was angry and wanted to stay angry. Her parents were hiding something from her and she did not like that one bit. 

" It's me," Ashley heard Edward's voice. " Oh, hey, um, come in," Ashley said. Edward got in, closed the door and sat on her bed, across from her. " Don't," Ashley said when Edward opened his mouth. He chuckled in response. " I'll answer your questions if you answer mine," Edward offered. Ashley huffed before nodding her head slightly. 

" Who did you meet today?" Edward asked her. She shrugged. " We went to Billy and Jacob Black's house. Then we got hungry and went to a diner. Billy was telling us of the tribe legends. Right before we got up we met three more guys from their tribe. But I only learned two of their names. Sam and Paul. Don't know about their surnames, though, didn't come up in our very little conversation," Ashley quickly explained. Then she smirked. " Is the reason you left Bella Swan?" Ashley asked her uncle.

Edward seemed to be taken aback by her niece's question. When he was left speechless Ashley raised one of her eyebrows at him. " You certainly didn't think I would figure it out?" she asked him. He chuckled. " Should've known nothing could get past you," Edward said. Ashley smiled with the victory. " Now, spill, Eddy boy," she said.

Edward shrugged. " I don't know, something's different about her. She just comes as different to me from other humans," he replied. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " Different how? Did you finally get a crush Eddy boy?" Ashley asked with a smirk on. Another shock went by Edward. " What? No, I don't think so, like my power doesn't work on her and, I hope Rose doesn't kill me for telling you this, but, I can't stop myself from imagining from attacking her," Edward admitted. Ashley bit her lip. " Like, you crave for her blood?" Ashley asked her uncle. Edward nodded uncomfortably. 

It was clear neither of them but mostly her uncle was uncomfortable on the topic. " What do you mean your power doesn't work? Are you broken now?" Ashley asked her uncle. Edward shrugged. " I don't know, it seems to be working fine with everyone else, by the way, stop picturing me running away from Bella like a scared little cat, thank you, so I don't know," Edward finished. Ashley laughed at her mental image for the last time before she started thinking about something else.

" Anyway, if that's all for today, I'll be sleeping now, I had a long day," Ashley said to Edward. He nodded his head in understandingly and walked out. Ashley took a deep breath before getting inside her bed and closing her eyes. As she tried to drift off to sleep the scene where she met Paul kept replaying on her mind.


	4. Three

A couple of days passed by quickly. Ashley almost did anything she could to avoid her parents. She rode to school with Jasper and Alice. Occasionally Edward joined them. At school, she sat with Angela and her friends. At home, she most dived into her school work and went to sleep early.

However, it was now Friday and the school's football season was kicking off. Mike was at the team and she had been hanging around with Angela and her friends, they convinced her to come to the game with them. Ashley kept refusing it until she found out that they were playing against the high school in the Reservation area, which happened to be Paul's school.

Ashley didn't know why but she had an itch to see him again. She could only hope he showed up to support his school and that they could at least talk. There was something about the guy that intrigued Ashley.

As she was almost done getting ready she heard her door opening. " Hey kiddo," she heard her father's voice. When she looked she saw her parents by the door. " Hey," she mumbled. " Are you going to somewhere?" Rosalie asked her daughter, already knowing the answer. Ashley nodded. " Yeah, it's the first game of the season and Mike's in the team. The girls persuaded me to come," Ashley explained.

" We were wondering if we could talk before you left," Rosalie said as she slowly walked to her bed, sat and patted the spot next to her. Emmett stood next to his wife, looking at her daughter. " Okay, but let's be quick, I don't want to be late," Ashley said knowing even if she left half an hour later she'd still be early. She just didn't want to have the talk.

Ashley slowly walked to her bed, sat and looked at her parents. " Honey, I understand that you are mad at us but we are only trying to protect you," Rosalie said, putting her hand over her daughter's. " Yeah kiddo, the things we hide from you are only for your protection," Emmett joined in on the conversation. Ashley sighed before answering.

" I get that but wouldn't the truth protect me better? I mean, I already know about you guys, what's more, to know? You know that I can keep my mouth shut. Plus, you were the ones who encouraged me to make new friends, why discouraging it now?" Ashley quickly listed her questions. Rosalie sighed and looked at her husband. 

" We know how good you are at keeping secret but this is on a different level, just be okay with the fact that parents sometimes hide certain facts from their children for their protection. Let's sort this out because I don't like the way our relationship is," Rosalie said, giving a warm smile. Ashley took a deep breath. " Alright, I can do that, I guess, but I have one condition," she said. 

Emmett chuckled and put out his arms, " Anything kiddo," he said. " At least until the project is over, you guys won't complain about who I hang out with, including the people from La Push," Ashley said. It was a fair deal, at least to her. She was willing to remain in the shadows about what was going on and she'd be able to hang out with him, Paul. Maybe he could even help her to figure out this secret. Whatever it was.

Ashley saw her parents faces changing drastically so she raised her eyebrows at them, expecting their answer. " Alright, fair deal, but no digging," Emmett said finally. He didn't like the situation one bit, her daughter being with those dogs, but he was at least going to be able to hang out with her daughter again, not like the past week. Ashley giggled and hug her parents. " Okay, not that it's sorted out, can I go?"

After getting the approval she left to go to the garage. She called her father from the garage. " Can I take the car?" she asked him. Emmett was by her side in a second. He smirked. " Sure, kiddo, just please drive carefully," he said. Ashley chuckled as he handed him the keys. " I wouldn't think otherwise, dad," she said and hopped onto the car.

She blasted music until she parked in the school. The place was already crowded, people coming to cheer their team from both schools. It was a bit tricky to find a decent place to park, luckily she had extra time to spare.

Ashley walked into the football arena trying to catch a friendly face. It was even more crowded than she thought. Who even wanted to watch a stupid football game in Washington, in this weather? 

As she walked through the crowd aimlessly she hit a big and warm body. " Oh, I'm sorry," she quickly mumbled and changed her direction. But a hand grabbed her and spun her around. " Hey, Ashley, it's me, Paul," she heard someone say.

" Oh, hey, Paul," Ashley said, a bright smile forming on her face. " Sorry for the, uhm, bumping," she mumbled. Paul chuckled. " No worries, I'm actually glad it happened, I bumped into you," he said. Ashley couldn't help but blush. Then she realized the other two people standing next to Paul. 

The third guy from the diner and a girl. " Hello, I'm Jared," the guy introduced himself. " And this is my girlfriend Kim," Jared continued. Ashley shook both of their hands with a smile. " Nice to meet you, I'm Ashley," she said. Kim and Jared smiled at her then looked at each other. With a curve on their lips, Jared turned to Paul. " We are going to go find something to eat, we'll see you later?" he said quickly and with a fast nod from Paul, they started walking away. 

" So," Paul said with a grin, " How have you been?" he asked her. Ashley shrugged. " Okay, I guess, the school's been killing me lately but other than that it's alright," she said. Then she quickly added, " What about you?". Paul shrugged as well. " Well, it's been shitty until I bumped into you, now it's perfect," he replied.

Ashley chuckled at the response. " Uhm, no cheesy lines anymore, please, I am not that easy to get," she said with a smirk. Paul grinned. " Well, how about we ditch the game and go somewhere to talk, maybe I can try my other techniques on you," he replied. Ashley smirked. " Oh, you have other techniques now?" 

Ashley and Paul ended up going to the diner they met. The long drive was just the excuse to have some time to talk. They were in Ashley's car, either talking to each other or humming along to the music playing in the background. Paul said that he caught a ride with Jared and Kim, leaving Ashley's car the only available transportation.

As they continued talking over a couple of milkshakes and french fries Ashley couldn't help but wonder how someone like Paul was thought to be a part of a cult. Sure he was certainly charming and that was a quality the cult people had but other than that Ashley simply couldn't find any downsides to the guy. She really wanted to ask him about it, but given that this was their second encounter, ever, she decided to go against it, for now, at least.

" So," Paul started, " What were you doing with the Blacks?" he asked her. Ashley leaned back on her chair, sipped her milkshake with a smirk on her face. " Curious, are we?" She said. Paul's lips curved upwards. " Yeah, can't say I'm not," he replied.

Ashley played with the straw of her milkshake before answering. " I was assigned this project at school, getting to know the locals in the town, or at least close to our town. My partner and I got the Quileute Tribe. My partner knew Jacob, they were childhood friends or something like that, and then his father got involved because he knew it better, so yeah," Ashley said. Paul leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. " You know," he said with another smirk newly forming on his face, " I am Quileute," he finished.

She chuckled at him. " I suppose you are now, aren't you," she said as she put out her phone. " I am supposed to take photos with the locals, would you mind?" she asked Paul, and after getting a nod as an approval, she opened up her camera. They smiled at the camera.

They took a couple of pictures and ended up looking at them after being done with shooting. " It looks good," Paul commented as Ashley nodded. " Yeah, we look good together," she blurted out. As blood rushed to her cheeks Paul chuckled. " Glad I am not the only one who noticed it," he replied.

Ashley's eyes went between Paul's face and the table. She was feeling this weird connection to Paul ever since they met. A boy she didn't even know a month ago was now almost consuming her all mind. But, the biggest thing she wondered was whether he felt the same. Then, Ashley's eyes drifted to his hand, laying on the table. Without a second thought, she found her hand interlocking with his.

His body's temperature instantly warmed her hand, even though it wasn't as cold as it was outside of the diner, it was still cold. Ashley was supposed to be used to it, given that she had to live in places like these her whole life because of her family's situation. However with Paul, her hand touching his, she was warm. Whole.

" I'm not crazy, right?" Ashley asked him after they both looked at their intertwined hands and then to their eyes. Paul shook his head. " You're feeling it, too?" Ashley asked. Paul smiled. " Yeah, I am feeling it," he replied. Ashley smiled at him. 

Their moment was cut short when Ashley's phone rang. 

She reluctantly left the warmth of Paul's hand and flipped over her phone. It was her mom. She blushed with embarrassment and quickly motioned Paul to wait as she answered the call. " Hey mom," she said. " Honey, it's becoming late, when are you coming back?" She heard her mother's voice. Ashley's eyes found Paul's. She didn't want to leave, not now, but she knew she had to, soon.

" I'll call you when I get in the car, I am with a friend," Ashley replied. Rosalie didn't say much and the phone call ended shortly afterward. They sat for a little while, in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

After paying for the bill and getting outside, Ashley hugged her jacket to try to get warm. She instantly realized how much she wanted to be in Paul's arms right now, the arms that could keep her warm. " So, that's it for today?" Paul asked Ashley sadly as they walked to her car. Ashley nodded. " Yeah, I guess," she said. " I had fun," she continued and a little smile was planted on Paul's lips. 

" Yeah me too, which brings me to my question," Paul said as they neared her car, " Can I get your number?" he asked her. Ashley smirked. " Wait, no techniques?" she asked him. Paul shrugged. " You're no other girl that my techniques usually work on, so, yeah, only my natural charm for you," he replied.

Ashley blushed as she took out her phone and handed it to him to type his number in. After dialing it and hearing the ringtone they had already reached her car. " Are you sure you don't want a ride?" Ashley asked Paul. He nodded. " Yeah, I can manage from here, thanks for the offer though," he said. Ashley smiled as she opened the door to her car.

Even though it was her second time seeing her she didn't want to leave him as if he was a stranger, at least a hug could be good. Luckily, Ashley felt the warm hands on her arms, spinning her around for the second time today, and soon, big warm arms wrapped around her.

Ashley wasn't waiting on the hug but she quickly gave in and felt her muscles relax. Paul was hugging him like he was hugging someone he loved. It certainly wasn't the same hug as you'd given someone you were just meeting. But, Ashley didn't mind and gave in.

After however, it had been, they finally parted. " Okay, uhm," Ashley started to mumble and turned around to her car. Paul had caught her off guard and now she wanted to even the playing field. " See you later," Ashley quickly said before turning around and kissing his cheek. Then she hopped on to the driver's seat. Paul stood there with a stupid grin on his face as Ashley pulled out and started driving. 

Her heart was racing and blood was rushing to her cheeks. She had kissed him. It was his cheek but still. She couldn't believe herself. Paul was practically supposed to be a stranger but he made her felt anything but that.

Ashley called her mother after she calmed down to inform her but it went to voicemail. Ashley instead pulled over to text her mom and then when she was done she kept on driving and thinking about the events of tonight.

When Ashley reached home she found it empty. Almost. A faint piano sound was coming and Ashley knew the source of it. Edward stopped playing once she got close enough. " Where's everyone?" Ashley asked her uncle as she sat next to him. " Hunting," he replied and continued on playing.

Whenever they went hunting they always made sure someone stayed with Ashley. It looked like this time it was Edward. Ashley smiled at herself as she started to listen to what Edward was playing. " What's this? I've never heard you playing this before," she commented.

Edward chuckled. " Can I give you a secret?" he asked her niece. Ashley quickly nodded. " It's an original I've been working on, for someone," he said and before he could go on any further a little bulb ignited inside Ashley's head and Edward chuckled slightly. " Bella?" Ashley exclaimed. Edward nodded softly and kept on playing.

" It sounds beautiful," Ashley commented. Edward smiled in response. Then they sat in silence until Edward stopped playing. " I could teach it to you too, if you like," Edward said once he was finished. After she hit the age of seven, Edward had taught Ashley how to play and she was pretty good at it. Ashley smiled at him. " Normally, it's an offer I'd like to accept, however, this seems like a private thing and I don't really want to invade your intimate gift to your little crush," she said. Edward hit her lightly as they chuckled. 

Edward sighed as he turned fully to her. " Tell me," he said softly. Sometimes Ashley forgot that he was a mind reader. She was thinking of sharing a secret with him too, one she couldn't hide for long. Even after the second encounter her mind was almost full of Paul and living with Edward wasn't going to make it any easier. She could at least confide in him now that they were alone and made sure he didn't tell anyone else.

Ashley chuckled before speaking. " I think you're not the only single in the family who might have a crush," she admitted. Edward raised his eyebrows. " I do not have a crush," he said but Ashley shushed him. " Said the hundred something-year-old vampires who wrote a music piece for a girl he just met," she replied. Edward rolled his eyes. " Anyhow," he continued as if he hadn't been interrupted before, " I can clearly see that you have a crush indeed," he replied.

Edward wasn't a fool. He could smell the wet dog's terrible scent all over her niece the second she parked the car. However, he decided not to comment on it, given everyone heard the conversation Rosalie and Emmett had with her earlier. They didn't want her around the dogs but they couldn't tell her the truth and without it, they didn't have any solid grounds to argue on. They had to take her deal. Plus, ever since he came back the name 'Paul' was almost always on her mind and the little encounter she had with him. Edward wasn't an idiot and he almost figured everything out.

" I haven't known him for a long while but I feel very connected to him, just like when you guys meet your mates you instantly know, I don't know, I feel very different with him, not bad different, a good kind of it," Ashley mumbled. Edward watched her niece talk about him with a smile on his lips. He didn't like the fact that the guy was one of them but seeing Ashley all happy and giddily was enough to keep him happy, for now at least. And as she kept on talking about him, the memories of him filled both of their minds.

After a couple of minutes and advice, Ashley hit her uncle's shoulder. " So, tell me, Eddy boy, how are things going with Bella?" she asked him. Edward shifted uncomfortably. " Uh, I talked to her on my first day back. I tried to use my power but it didn't work. Then she spotted my eyes and when she asked me about it I kind of freaked out, and I haven't talked to her since," Edward admitted. " You idiot," Ashley said as she flicked her uncle's head. " Is that why you've been glaring all this time?" she asked him. Edward shrugged in defeat.

Ashley sighed loudly. " Sometimes you're not very bright, you know," she started and felt the tiredness creeping into her body," But, you're a great uncle who composed a lullaby for her niece who had been having sleeping problems and you play it beautifully," she said with a yawn. Edward chuckled as he positioned himself to play the piano. As his fingers pressed the keys he felt her niece's head leaning on his shoulder and as he kept on playing he heard her breathing getting slower and steady. Soon, she was asleep. " It never fails," Edward chuckled to himself as he kissed her niece's temple.


	5. Four

It had been a few days since the match. Forks' team ended up winning and all the players seemed to be over the moon now. 

Ashley was still hanging out with Angela and her friends from time to time and she got to be a part of their conversation as well. Bella was really shy as she had predicted. Angela was really nice. Jessica, she was complicated. One minute she was being kind however the next she was sending snarky remarks. Plus, Ashley didn't really like the way she spoke about her family and especially about Edward ever since he rejected her when they first arrived in Forks. 

The boys, on the other hand, were boys. They occasionally flirted with them and messed with each other. And mostly, it was funny to laugh at them.

When Jessica and Angela questioned Ashley on why she didn't come to the game like she had promised Ashley was taken aback. She knew she'd get the question but didn't really think of a good cover-up. " Uhm, I came actually," she started, " But then I bumped into some friends and we decided to ditch it," she continued. It wasn't a lie. 

Bella realized the uncomfortable situation Ashley had gotten and since she was familiar with it, she decided to get her out of it. " Uhm, Ashley?" she quietly asked. Ashley turned to her with a smile on her face. " Yeah?" she replied. Bella furrowed her eyebrows as she thought of something to tell or ask her now that she got the attention. " How about we go somewhere after school and work on the history project?" 

Ashley wasn't waiting on that but she accepted, given they really needed to work on it. Other than talking to Billy Black they hadn't gotten anywhere, except for the picture of Ashley and Paul together. 

Suddenly Mike joined on their conversation, " Why is Cullen looking at you like he wants to eat you?" he asked Bella. Ashley comfortably shifted in her chair with his question and Bella got frustrated. " Uhm, excuse me?" Ashley said, shooting almost glares to Mike. For a second, he seemed to forgot Ashley was a Cullen as well and he didn't answer. Ashley sighed loudly as she got up and made her way to her family's table.

Her family was talking about the weather, the next Friday was supposed to be sunny. Whenever it was sunny they all ditched school, given there would be sparks everywhere. Ashley joined them as well for the cover-up story. " So, will we go somewhere or stay in the whole day?" Ashley asked them. 

" What would you like, kiddo? " her dad asked Ashley. She shrugged. " I don't know since the weekend is right after Friday maybe we could take a little trip?" she suggested. They hadn't taken a family trip for a while, and even if three days wasn't a long time it could still be fun. " How about a ski-reside?" Alice chimed in. " I saw about a new one opening on the internet and the weather is cloudy," she continued. " We could leave Thursday after school," Rosalie said and with that everyone approved of the trip.

Then, they went onto talking about other things when Ashley's phone vibrated, alerting an incoming text message. It was from Paul. Ashley's face immediately lightened up as she opened the message and typed a reply. She heard Edward chuckle lightly and gave him a glare. So far he was the only one who knew she had been talking to Paul. Luckily, the rest of the family seemed like they hadn't caught their little interaction.

Just like she promised, Ashley met up with Bella after school ended and they went to her house. " So, are we really going to work on the project? " Ashley asked Bella as they entered the house and tossed away their bags. Bella shrugged. " I thought we would," she replied. In truth, they needed to work on it, even though their deadline wasn't due for another month or two the midterms would start soon and getting done with the project would be good for them.

They opened Bella's laptop and started writing down what they remembered from Billy's stories. " Would it be rude to ask him to send us a written copy?" Ashley asked Bella as they checked the screen. They mostly remembered everything but there could be room for a fact-checking. 

" Maybe you can ask Jacob and I could, uhm," Ashley started but then stopped. Would talking about Paul be okay? What about him? Would he want to talk to her about the tribe? " Ask Paul?" Bella finished for her. Ashley blushed almost immediately and chuckled. " Yeah, maybe," she replied. " You like him or something?" Bella asked her again. Ashley shrugged, " I don't know, maybe, I just met him and we seem to be getting along," she replied. Then it hit her. She was here with Bella Swan, the girl her uncle had a crush on. " What about you? Do you have any crushes?" Ashley asked with a smirk on her face. Bella was shocked with her questioned and she quickly shook her head. " No, uhm, I don't normally do relationships," she murmured. 

To Ashley, there could be one explanation of Bella's answer, she indeed liked somebody. And she was almost sure it was her uncle. She always caught Bella looking at Edward or even sometimes talking about him. " Hm, alright," Ashley said, letting go. There was still plenty of time and if something was to happen between them it still could.

They worked for a little while longer until Ashley decided it was time to leave. Bella offered to give her a ride but Ashley politely declined it. Instead, she called her uncle to ask him to pick her up. With their fast driving enthusiasm, it shouldn't take long for him to pick her up.

Edward accepted to pick her up and told her he'd be there. After ending the call Ashley sent him the address and the two girls started waiting. They were talking about what could they do as their next step, from googling the tribes to talking with other locals when they heard a honk outside. " Oh, must be my brother," Ashley said with a grin and opened the door.

As soon as Bella came into Edward's view his expression changed. Bella bit her lip as she eyed him. " Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Ashley said to Bella. She nodded and Ashley started walking towards the car. She smirked the whole way and Edward glared at her, knowing what she was thinking. " It's not funny," he commented as she got in. Ashley giggled and Edward started driving.

Esme had finished cooking for Ashley once they arrived at the house. After quickly eating, all of the family were sitting in the living room. They were discussing the family trip that they were going to have. Carlisle was okay with leaving work for a couple of days as he wanted to enjoy a family trip as well. When they were done planning the whole thing the family opened the TV as Ashley's favorite show was on and she never missed an episode, for whatever reason. Ashley started to hum along with the intro music as the family watched her with amused looks on their faces. 

The next day went by quickly. Ashley had a quiz on calculus. She had been good at it and thanks to quick help from her dad during lunch she was sure she'd get an A on it. The quiz was in the last period so her family must have been waiting for her.

As she was on the door she looked at her family. Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice were standing between the two cars, under the umbrella and were talking. Her mom and dad were behind them. Edward was standing alone, one hand leaned on his car and he was eyeing someone. Ashley followed where he was looking and saw Bella. She was next to her truck, her back was turned to them and she was looking for something in her bag.

Just as Ashley started walking she heard the loud screeching noise. A black van entered the parking lot very fastly and was going toward Bella. She turned around and saw the van coming at her with a shocked expression on her face. Ashley held her breath as she understood what was going on. The van was going to hit Bella. 

Ashley closed her eyes when the van neared, not wanting to see the scene that was about to happen. When she opened her eyes she was even more shocked. Her uncle, Edward, submerged between the two vehicles, holding Bella. After dragging her aside and quickly asking if she was alright he started walking towards the rest of the family. Ashley quickly walked to her family, looking at Edward with either mad or shocked expressions. " Get in the car," Rosalie murmured to her daughter.

The Cullens drove to the hospital. " I am going to go get Carlisle," Alice said as she left her car and came near theirs. Meanwhile, Jasper hopped on to their car, looking in agony. As Alice got inside the building everyone turned to Edward. " What the hell, Edward?" Rosalie practically shouted inside the car. " I don't want to hear it, Rosalie," Edward replied angrily. " Edward, do you realize what you have done? You endangered all of our family, how are we going to explain this?" Rosalie continued.

" Mom," Ashley said but her mom didn't stop and Ashley called to her again. " Yes, Ashley?" Rosalie finally said with a warmer tone. " I know it's bad, but didn't he kind of saved you guys?" Ashley asked her mother. Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows. " What do you mean, kiddo?" Emmett asked her daughter. " If that van hit her, it would be bad, very bad, with lots of blood, wouldn't it be hard to, uhm, control yourselves?" Ashley asked her family, trying to protect her uncle.

Ashley loved everyone on her family but after her parents, her uncle Edward was kind of her favorite. Since he was the only single he was always the designated babysitter and they spent a lot of time together. They always joked around and he was the last person she was feeling weird at calling his 'brother' in public and called by his actual name and give nicknames. Ashley knew his uncle screwed up big time but she could at least point out some good things and maybe her family's, especially her mom's anger would come down a bit.

Edward gave her a small smile as they stood in silence. Then they spotted Carlisle and Alice coming at them. Carlisle came to the window. " Alice and Jasper, take Ashley and go home," he said. With that Ashley and Jasper got out of the car and hopped onto the other one. Alice didn't take long to join them on the driver's seat and they were on the way. Even if he didn't go in Ashley was sure being near the hospital must've been hard on her uncle. " Uhm, Uncle Jasper? Are you alright?" she softly asked him. Jasper turned around with an expression Ashley saw only a couple of times, " I'll be kiddo, don't worry," he managed to say. Alice held one of his hands and the rest of the drive went silent.

As soon as Alice parked they went to the forest to help Jasper's hunger. Ashley went inside by herself to find her grandma. " Hey grandma," she said with low energy after sitting down on one of the stools. " Hey, honey, what's wrong?" Esme asked her as she put a plate in front of her. Ashley gave her a look. " Didn't they tell you?" she asked her. Esme's face fell instantly. " No, what is it? Where's everyone?" Esme asked worryingly. 

" Uhm, mom, dad, and Uncle Edward are at the hospital with grandpa. Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice are hunting, I think," she answered, " At the end of the school, there was a little accident, uhm, the van was about to hit someone and Uncle Edward saved the girl," Ashley explained. " Oh," was all Esme said. They sat together in silence as Ashley ate her food. When she was done she looked at her grandma. " What will happen to him?" she asked her grandma." I don't know honey, I am sure your grandfather will think of something, don't worry," Esme said as she hugged her granddaughter.

Ashley didn't know what to feel. Yes by saving Bella he prevented a literal blood bath but he also kind of exposed themselves. They might have to leave and they've only been here for two years. They usually stayed four to five years. 

Ashley sat in the living room in front of the TV with a blanket covering her as she was channel surfing. Nothing on the TV made her focus long enough as her mind was on her family. About what would happen in the future. When Ashley looked at her phone for a distraction she saw it blowing up with messages. They were from Jessica and Angela. They were wondering about her 'brother' and whether he was injured in the accident or not. Ashley ignored the messages with sudden tears in her eyes. Then she saw the last message. It was from Paul.

The message was something stupid they were talking about earlier however it brought a smile to her face. Suddenly the tears were gone and even the tips of her lips were curved upwards. She quickly typed a reply. Once she was done with the message she heard rustling coming from the window.

" Hey kiddo," her Uncle Jasper greeted her with Alice next to her. " Hey guys," Ashley said turning towards them, " You look better," she said to him. Jasper smiled. " Thanks, I feel better too," he answered. " We never got to ask, how was the quiz?" Alice asked her as the couple sat next to their niece. Ashley shrugged. " Crushed it," she said with a smirk.

Alice and Jasper asked her questions and they talked for a while until the others came back. Ashley knew that they were doing that to distract her and she didn't mind. She didn't even mind the refreshing emotions once they realized her mind was going off to Edward.

Once the other half of the family arrived home everyone came to the living room. Ashley turned the TV off as her parents sat to her sides. Edward sat next to Jasper and Alice. Carlisle and Esme took the other sofa. 

" Everyone involved in the accident is fine," Carlisle started speaking, " however Bella mentioned to me that Edward was away from him and then he was not," Carlisle continued and Ashley saw her mother glaring at Edward. " I told her she hit her head so she doesn't remember but that I was standing next to her," Edward said. " And she will believe that, because?" Rosalie asked him.

" I also told her and her father that she hit her head so I think we might be fine, and Edward if she starts with the questions just tell her that you had an adrenaline rush," Carlisle said. Edward nodded. " Uhm, grandpa?" Ashley said and all the attention was at her. " What should I tell people?" she asked him.

" Why would you talk to people about it kiddo?" her dad asked Ashley. She shrugged. " I've been getting some messages about it, asking whether uncle Edward is alright or what happened," Ashley quickly said. " See," Rosalie started, " This is what I meant by dragging our family into this, why does Ashley have to go through this?" Rosalie asked.

" Rosalie," Carlisle said, calming her down then he turned to her granddaughter. " Ashley, honey, just tell them that it was an accident, Edward's fine and we didn't tell you much about it," Carlisle said and Ashley nodded. She wasn't even near the accident when it happened, she was by the door. She had just seen the thing like everyone else.

" And with that, I think having a little trip would raise some suspicions right after an accident like that so I believe it's best if we just stay here and be seen during the weekend," Carlisle said. Everyone nodded but Ashley was sad. They were finally going to have a trip and it was ruined. As the rest of the family got up to go to their rooms Rosalie and Emmett stayed with their daughter. " I'm sorry sweetie, I knew you wanted to go," Rosalie said. Ashley shrugged. " It's okay," she said. Nothing would change it and she couldn't do anything about it.

Rosalie and Emmett could sense that their daughter wasn't happy about it and seeing her like that crushed them. " Kiddo, how would you feel about a Harry Potter marathon?" Emmett asked her daughter. Immediately Ashley's face lightened up and she nodded. " You know how I feel dad, the answer is always yes!"


	6. Five

A week and a half passed by since Edward's and Bella's accident. Edward occasionally talked to her and she kept questioning him. Finally, during a school field trip that Edward, Jasper, and Alice went to he told her that it was an adrenaline rush and they shouldn't be friends.

Ashley wanted happiness. She wanted her family to be happy. She wanted her uncle to be happy. But, one thing that made the one side happy upset the other. One day Ashley rode to school with Edward. Ever since the accident, he couldn't take on the remarks from Ashley's mother so he had decided to drive by his own. 

After singing a song together Ashley turned the volume down. " So, I need to ask you something, and you need to be honest with me," Ashley said turning to his uncle. Edward could hear Ashley's thoughts and he was concerned. " Yeah?" he said. Ashley took a deep breath. " For a while now I've seen you sneak out at nights, I don't even know if that's the right term, whatever, where are you going? It surely can't be hunting," Ashley said.

Edward was shocked by her question. He was shocked that she had caught it. " Uhm," he started not really knowing what to say. Ashley would know if he lied. " To Bella's house," he finally admitted. " Wait, what?" Ashley blurted out. She had expected an answer like an affair or something, not the girl's house he saved. " What are you doing there, at night? OOOH MY GOD--" Ashley started to say, then shout and then got shushed. " No, it's not what you think it is, god, stop thinking of me naked, I am your uncle," Edward quickly said grimacing his face. Ashley chuckled. " Fine, I suppose you're right, it's gross to think of you like that," she said and earned a glare from her uncle.

It was the last day of the week. Just like Ashley wanted the lessons went by quickly and she was already eating her lunch. Her dad and Uncle Jasper were talking about the game that was going to be on the TV tonight. Her mom was looking to a catalog she brought from home. Aunt Alice was on her phone and her Uncle Edward was eyeing Bella again. 

Ashley hit her uncle's feet. Edward turned to her with furrowed brows. He was pretending to eat and he dumped something back to the plate. " Stop staring, go talk to her," Ashley whispered to Edward. He rolled his eyes at her. Then Ashley turned to look at Bella and saw that she was heading for the salad bar. So she leaned back on her chair. " Edward, could you go and get me a salad?" she said with a smirk.

Edward glared at her but declining would earn remarks from Rosalie and he wasn't in the mood for that plus he really wanted to talk to Bella. So with a sigh, he got up and made his way over to the salad bar.

Ashley watched her uncle with a smirk on her face and kept on eating her food. " You're sometimes evil, you do know that, don't you?" She heard her Aunt Alice whisper to her. She turned to her with the smirk and shrugged. " I guess I am," she answered. 

When she saw the two of them chatting her phone vibrated. It was a text. From Paul. They were talking as usual but the other day Paul offered to meet up. She was beyond excited and this was the day. She couldn't wait until school ended and she went to meet up. Ashley felt her belly strangling in a funny way every time she thought about her meeting up with Paul.

For the last of the lessons, Ashley didn't really care about it and focused on Paul. Her last lesson was with Uncle Jasper and he had realized the excitement from his niece. Since it wasn't in a bad way, he hadn't been alarmed. When the rang bell a big smile was formed on Ashley's face. Together they walked outside to the cars to meet up with the rest of their family.

Alice was already there when Jasper and Ashley arrived. " Alice!" Ashley beamed. " Can I ride back with you and Rosalie? I need to talk to you two about something," she said excitedly. Seeing her niece with smiles all around her face Alice smiled too. She looked at her mate and he shrugged with a smile on his lips. " Of course honey," she replied as they waited for the last of the Cullens.

Alice and Ashley had dragged Rosalie away from the car and they got in quickly. Without waiting for the others Alice started driving, eager to learn what her niece is going to talk about. " What's the rush guys? What's going on?" Rosalie asked with a smile on her face. " Mom, Auntie," Ashley started talking, " I think I may be going on a date today," she quickly said. Alice shouted a little and Rosalie turned to her daughter. " Maybe going?" she asked her daughter with a grin on her face.

Ashley blushed at the question. " Yeah, I am not sure, he asked me to meet up, and I think I like him, we hang out once before," she quickly explained. " What should I expect?" she asked them. Sure, there had been boys interested in her before but it never got to be a serious thing for several reasons. Ashley never really liked them back and the boys she liked were kind of scared by the other Cullens. Especially Emmett. He was very protective of his little daughter. 

" Oh honey," Rosalie exclaimed. " Just try to enjoy yourself, but know that with teenager boys things can get a little out of hand and you don't have to do anything you don't want to or don't feel comfortable," she continued. " Exactly sweetie, don't feel pressured," Alice added and the two vampires shared a look. 

Ashley nodded. " Okay," she said. " How do I know if he's into me?" she asked them. The vampires grinned. " Oh, you'll know, trust me," Rosalie said. Ashley giggled. " What will you be doing?" Alice asked her. " We'll go see a movie and then eat, I think, I am not sure," she replied. Alice chuckled as she increased the speed. " Then I suppose we better hurry up so you don't end up going late, not further than the expected fashionable late I mean," she said and all of them broke into laughter.

When they got home Ashley quickly dived into the food her grandma had prepared for her meanwhile her mom and aunt informed her grandma of the event today. Esme chuckled at the news. " Do we know who the lucky guy is?" she asked and then all of them turned to a blushing Ashley. " Is he from school?" Alice asked. Ashley shook her head. " What if I tell you after tonight? When I'm sure where it is headed?" she asked them.

It was the first proper date she was going and it was understandable all the other females' reactions. However, Paul was from La Push and she knew how they reacted. Plus she really didn't want to let her family know without things getting serious. 

" Alright, I suppose we could wait a few hours," Rosalie said as she hugged her daughter. She smiled as a 'thank you' and focused on finishing her food. " Oh, don't tell dad, please, or anyone else, I don't want them to freak out, we all saw how they reacted when I came back from Europe," Ashley said with a chuckle. While the others joined Emmett joined in. " What shouldn't they tell me, kiddo?" 

Ashley blushed and the others kept on chuckling. " Emmett, buddy, I don't think you're going to find out unless they want you to," Jasper had joined in, patting Emmett's shoulder. Emmett frowned for a second. " We'll see about that," he said and then called for Edward. " Eddy boy," Emmett said, using her daughter's nickname for Edward when he came in. " What is that they're not telling me?" he asked him. 

Immediately all of them changed their thoughts. " Ugh," Edward said as he furrowed his brows, " I don't know Emmett, they've gotten good at guarding their thoughts," he replied. Ashley giggled and pulled her tongue out. " Oh god, Ashley, please stop thinking of my head on a koala bear!" Edward groaned.

After getting rid of the boys Alice, Rosalie and Ashley went to her room to get her ready. Alice dived into her niece's wardrobe as Rosalie started to do make-up. " Mom, you are amazing!" Ashley exclaimed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Rosalie smiled up to her daughter. " And I've found the perfect thing to wear!" Alice said. 

It was a cute dress Esme had bought Ashley a couple of months ago. With a nice jacket, she would be okay. After laying it out on the bed Alice and Rosalie started to work on Ashley's hair, even though she rejected it. They brushed it and braided a part of it. Then they left to let her get dressed.

When Ashley went to the living room all the females awed loudly. " You look amazing!" Esme exclaimed. " Uh, yeah, she does, for what?" Emmett barged in, looking at her daughter with a frown. Ashley blushed and looked at her mom for help. " She's going out with friends," Rosalie said as she hugged her husband and planted a kiss on his cheek. " Huh," Emmett said. 

" Dad, can I take the car?" Ashley asked her dad with her puppy eyes. Emmett rolled his eyes as he handed them to her daughter. " Don't be late," he said as he kissed the top of her head. Ashley nodded as she made her way to the garage.

After she parked the car and walked to the theatre Paul was already there in the entrance. " Hey," she said with a huge smile on her pace. Upon seeing her he smiled as well. " Hey," he said. Ashley wasn't sure what to do now. Was she supposed to hug him? Kiss him? That's what they've done the last time. 

Luckily Paul had stopped her inner argument as he leaned over and half hugged her. Ashley blushed as they went in. " I already got the tickets, hope you like the seats," Paul said. Ashley shrugged. " As long as it's not the front I'm sure it'll be okay," she replied. They got popcorn and some drinks before going inside to their seats.

When the movie ended Ashley was still eating her popcorn. " I mean, cmon, I wouldn't have done that at the ending! Why wouldn't he accept the offer? It's an adventure!" Ashley exclaimed as they got out of the theatre. They had watched a superhero film and in the end, the guy rejected an offer to join a superhero group. Paul chuckled as he watched her. " What?" Ashley said with a chuckle when she saw him staring at her. " I don't know, he kind of has a point," he said but Ashley threw some popcorn at him. He laughed at the way she reacted. 

When they reached her car Paul looked at her with a grin. " So you like adventures?" he asked her. Ashley nodded. " How about an adventure right now?" he asked her again. Ashley gave her a suggestive look. " Right now?" she asked and Paul nodded. " Alright, where to?" she asked as she took out her keys. Paul grabbed the keys. " It's a surprise, hop in," he said.

Paul ended up bringing Ashley to a cliff. They got out of the car and walked to the edge. " My friends and I like to come here to jump," he said. Ashley looked at him in disbelief. " Jump?" she shouted as she looked between Paul and the water beneath them. " Yeah," Paul said with a grin," It's called cliff-jumping. It's a sport," he explained. Ashley nodded as he explained. She pointed to the place they were standing in and then the water. " So you jump from here, to there?" she asked him. He nodded.

" Hmm," Ashley said as she took a step back towards the car and then sat on the car's bodywork. " Then I guess you're quite adventurous, aren't you?" she asked him with a smirk. Paul grinned as he came near.

The moonlight was upon them, it was shining to the sea behind Paul and Ashley's heart was racing. This seemed like the moment in dates where something happened. Ashley's eyes met with Paul's. 

" Ashley," Paul said slowly as he neared her, " If you're okay with it, I'd like to kiss you now," he whispered to her. Ashley softly nodded to his request and Paul started to lean in. First, their lips brushed together and then Paul closed the gap between them.

At first, it was only their lips that were touching. But as it got more heated Paul had brought his warm hands around Ashley's cheeks and his body was between her legs. Ashley had wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. With Paul sliding in his tongue Ashley softly moaned. 

Sure she had kissed before but with Paul the kiss was amazing. She felt like she had never been kissed before. She didn't know whether it was the rush or his temperature but she was feeling very warm.

His warm hand slid down to her waist, bringing her closer to him. They continued on kissing for a while until they were out of breath. She leaned her forehead against his. " That was nice," she murmured in between her breaths. Paul chuckled. " Yeah, it was," he replied.

After the kiss, they talked for a while until it became late and they both knew they needed to go. However, luckily, this time Paul had accepted Ashley's offer to drive him to his house, given he couldn't go without a car.

The drive was fun. Paul had made jokes and they sang along to some songs they both loved. When she pulled over next to a house Paul decreased the volume of the music. " This is it," he said. Ashley nodded. She wanted to see him again. " Until next time?" Paul asked her with hope. Ashley's lips curved upwards. " Yeah," she answered. 

Paul grinned as he quickly leaned on and planted a kiss on her lips. " It's my turn to shock you beautiful," he said before getting outside the car. Ashley blushed as she watched her walking up to his house with a grin. She shook her head as she pulled onto the driveway with a smile on her face.

After she parked the car and got in she found her family in the living room. They were smiling at her until Rosalie furrowed her brows. " Honey, how was it? Tell us everything!" Alice yelled and was by her side in a second. Ashley smiled as she eyed her dad and Uncle Edward looking at them with their brows furrowed. " Oh, they found out," Alice said rolling her eyes. " It went, great," Ashley said blushing and thinking of the kiss. " Ugh!" Edward groaned suddenly. " I don't need those images in my head!" he said and left the room. Alice and Ashley chuckled after them. " I am guessing some things happened," Alice said with a smirk and Ashley nodded. She looked at her mom and saw her with a sad expression on her face. " Honey, why don't you go change? Then we can talk about it," Alice offered. Ashley nodded and made her way to her room as Alice sat next to Rosalie.

When she saw done changing she went to Edward's room. " So," she said with a grin, " What did you and Bella talk about today?" she asked him. Since she came back with her mom and aunt she didn't get a chance to ask him. " Well, I asked her about theories of me, since she doesn't believe the adrenaline rush thing, and they were mostly about those superhero movies you make me watch," Edward said. Ashley bit her lip. " And you still can't read her mind?" she asked him. Edward shook his head. " Okay, what else?" Ashley asked. Edward chuckled. " She suggested that we 'hang out' and then invited me to go to La Push beach with her and her friends this weekend," Edward said. " Eddy boy! You better tell me you're going!" Ashley exclaimed.

Edward shook his head again with a chuckle. Ashley ended up throwing him a book. " Why?" she asked him. Edward couldn't tell her the real reason why he or any of the Cullens except for Ashley couldn't go to La Push. " It's way too crowded, it'd be awkward," Edward said and Ashley threw him another book. " You know, you suck at flirting," Ashley commented. Edward rolled his eyes. " I am not trying to flirt," he said and earned a glare from his niece.

Trying to change the subject Edward said, " By the way, all of us could smell it, again, you were with one of them, weren't you?". Ashley bit her lip. She had completely forgotten about the smell issue. " Oh, well, yes," she started, " But I had a deal until the project is over I could hang out with them," she said. Edward rolled his eyes. " Yes, the keyword is 'hang out' not date and make out," Edward said. 

" I don't understand why it is such a problem, also, how do you know the smell? Isn't he human? Isn't 'them' human? How do they have this smell that you guys can recognize instantly?" Ashley asked her uncle. She was frustrated. " Believe me, if you could smell it, you'd recognize it too," Edward replied, ignoring all of her other questions. When Ashley realized he wasn't going to answer she groaned. " I am going to bed then," she said loudly for everyone to hear as she went to her room.

She had been the happiest since the date and she thought of the after- talk with her mom and aunt but it turned upside down and now her mood was ruined. She drifted off to sleep thinking about the talk with her uncle and the moments with Paul.


	7. Six

Halfway through the week, Bella stopped Ashley in the hallway to speak on the project. " I was at the La Push beach this weekend and I ran into Jacob," she started, " And I did some digging. Guess what?" she asked Ashley. Ashley raised her brows. " I am really bad at this so just spill," she said. Bella chuckled. " Turns out there's a book. About the tribe and the legends," she finished.

Ashley smiled. " Great! Where can we find one?" Ashley asked Bella. Bella shrugged. " You'd think that the shops here would have it, but it doesn't. The nearest is in Port Angeles, I'll go there with Jessica and Angela to shop for prom dresses in Friday, I'll try to go there too," Bella said. Ashley furrowed her brows. " I thought you were going out of town for prom," Ashley said. Bella was taken aback. " Uh, I am," she stuttered, " It's to help the girls, want to tag along?" Bella asked her. Ashley smiled. " I don't think it'd be fair to my sisters, however, thank you for the offer, maybe we can meet up after you get the book?" 

Rest of the week went uneventful except for some guys trying to ask Ashley to the prom. They either got rejected or scared away by Emmett. Ashley wanted to ask Paul about it but she wasn't sure how it would all go with her family around. 

During the weekend Rosalie and Ashley had talked about Paul. Ashley didn't really give specifics and Rosalie informed her that she wasn't fond of her daughter seeing him. Since she had promised her father not to do any digging she still had no idea over who 'them' were or why her family hated them. 

The school was over and Ashley was going to meet Paul again. She didn't know what they were going to do, they didn't agree on anything, just that they were going to meet up. She happily got dressed, did some make-up and quickly said goodbye to her mom. 

They agreed to meet up on the diner that they had met. Ashley didn't really mind the long drive. It was practice for her and the chance to blast her music. After parking her car and getting in she spotted Paul already there, sitting in one of the booths. " Hey there," she said smiling as she sat down. " Hey, beautiful," Paul greeted her back with a grin.

The two instantly got to talking as if they had known each other for a long time. It was easy to talk to Paul. He got her and shared some interests. Talking about her favorite TV shows or movies was a hobby for Ashley and getting to do it with someone outside the family and she actually liked meant a lot to her.

" So," Ashley said, something was bugging her for quite some time now. Jacob had said that he was on some kind of a cult and her family, especially her mother had been referring to them as 'them' and she wondered if they talked about the so-called 'cult'. " Don't get this the wrong way, but, after meeting you I heard some rumors about you," Ashley said and spotted the instant change in Paul's attitude. " What did you hear?" Paul asked her hesitantly.

" People have been saying that you are in a cult or something, and apparently my parents have heard it too and they're not fond of this," Ashley said waving her finger between them. " Is it true?" Ashley asked him.

Paul shifted in the booth uncomfortably. He took some deep breaths. " I knew this would come up eventually," he finally said. " Don't get me wrong," Ashley quickly said upon seeing him like that, " You really seem like a nice guy, and I like you and--," she started but got cut off by a grinning Paul. " You like me?" he asked her. Ashley blushed. She had said the word, hadn't she? She nodded and Paul chuckled. " You look cute when you blush," he said and Ashley blushed even more. 

Then Paul stood up, left some money on the counter and offered his hand. Ashley looked at his hand and then at his face. " I'll tell you about the whole 'cult' thing, just not here," he said. Ashley nodded, held his hand and got up. They walked to the car holding hands. She loved the feeling she had with her hand inside his. 

After getting inside the car she followed Paul's directions, even when they drifted off the road and got inside the woods. " Should I start getting scared?" Ashley asked him as she drove. Paul chuckled at her question. " No, I'll never hurt you," Paul answered truthfully. Although the answer helped Ashley to calm down a bit the road they were in didn't help at all.

" Also, don't stare at Emily's face for too long, it bugs Sam," Paul said when they finally stopped in front of a house. Then he said" Cmon," before Ashley could reply as he hopped off and waited for her. She closed the door and locked her car as she eyed the house. The door was open and there was some laughter coming from inside. Paul had grabbed her hand as they walked towards the house. 

When they walked in Ashley spotted three shirtless guys and a girl. She recognized Jared and Sam because they met before. The other two, she had no idea, they never met before. " Hey guys," Paul said, gaining the attention in the room. They turned to them and immediately Jared's face lightened up. " Ashley!" he exclaimed and got up to hug her. Ashley hugged him back, at least seeing some friendly faces made her believe she wasn't about to be murdered in the middle of the woods. 

" Paul," the woman said, " Aren't you going to introduce us?" she asked. Ashley looked at her and then she understood why Paul told her not to stare. She had scars on her face. She quickly looked away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

Paul grinned. " Oh yeah, uhm, everyone this is Ashley. This is Embry, you already met Jared, that's Sam and Sam's fiancee Emily," Paul quickly said. Emily got up from her chair and came to give Ashley a hug too. " So nice to finally meet you, Paul's been talking about you," she said. Ashley chuckled. " Oh, was he?" she asked Paul and they chuckled.

As Emily and Ashley sat down Paul looked uncomfortable as he called for Sam. They went outside and Ashley was left wondering. Embry and Emily seemed like nice people but she still didn't understand why Paul had brought her here. She had some questions. The first one being how were these guys able to sit shirtless with the door opened in Washington at winter. The remaining three people chatted and Ashley listened occasionally joining in. It took a few minutes to Paul and Sam get back. 

" Ashley, can you come with me for a second?" Paul asked her. Ashley nodded and got up. As they walked outside she heard the others getting up and following them. " I'll tell you the details later but first I have to show something," he murmured. She stopped Ashley at the porch and got down. He started to take his clothes off as everyone watched him. " Paul," Ashley said, " What are you doing?" she asked him, clearly stating the uncomfortableness she was feeling. Paul didn't answer as he took off his pants and stood with his boxers. " Please don't freak out," he said looking at Ashley. 

" Why would I fre-- OH MY GOD" Ashley exclaimed. As she started speaking Paul had transformed. Into a wolf. Right in front of her eyes. An actual wolf. The wolf looked at her. Ashley turned around to see the others looking at her with an amused face. " You guys knew about this?" Ashley asked them. Emily nodded. She turned around again to see the wolf. " That's Paul?" She asked in disbelief as she neared the wolf. When she got closer the wolf bowed his head down. Reluctantly, Ashley raised her hand to pet it. She never even petted a dog before in her life, let along a huge wolf. The wolf eased into her hand and made a whimpering sound. " That means he likes it," someone behind her said. Ashley chuckled as she kept on petting the wolf. The fur was so soft and Ashley enjoyed it.

" Alright, let's go back inside, I believe we owe Ashley an explanation," Sam said. Ashley took a last look at the wolf before going back inside. Within a minute Paul came back wearing his shorts. He came near Ashley and after seeing she wasn't freaked out gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. " I think you have questions," Sam said again as he sat down. Emily sat next to him. Jared then took a seat. Paul grabbed her hand and walked over to the table. He sat and pulled Ashley to his lap. She blushed at the act but didn't move. She liked having his arms around her body.

" So you are werewolves?" Ashley asked them. " Kind of," Sam answered, " I think you are familiar with the legends of our tribe, our blood is magic and the spirit-warriors can shift into a wolf," Sam explained. " Hm," Ashley said, " Like Taha Aki?" she asked. Sam nodded. " Exactly," he said. " We are a pack and no one can know about us, you and Emily get to know because you are the imprintee's," Sam said. Ashley furrowed her brows. " Imprintee?" she asked. " I'll tell you about it later," Paul said to her. She nodded in response.

" Not that I am complaining about the view but this has been bugging me, why are you all shirtless?" Ashley blurted out. All of the wolves and Emily chuckled. " You might have already realized, but our body temperature is really high because it allows us to withstand very cold weather and makes it difficult for us to become overheated. Also helps us when we're in combat with our enemy," Paul said. Ashley turned to him. " Enemy?" she asked. " Cold ones," Embry answered, " Vampires," he continued.

Ashley held her breath at the mention of that word. " Vampires?" she asked. Were they the enemies of her family? Was that the reason her family didn't want her here? " Yes," Sam answered, " Our tribe's had many enemies but most of them vanished through the years, except for one, the cold ones. Whenever they're around the magic in our blood awakens and forces us to shift to protect our lands. When they're close we can smell them, being alert," He explained.

So now vampires had scents too? Did that mean Paul could smell her family on her? Why was she surrendered with people who had supernatural senses? 

" And, I've realized that you kind of have their smell on you," Paul murmured. " Oh?" Ashley said as she felt her heartbeat getting faster and blood rushing to her cheeks. Even with this revelation, especially with this revelation, she had to keep her family a secret. " What? How?" She quickly asked them. 

Paul shrugged. " I don't know, we know that the leeches that live here are a group, some of them looking like teenagers or something so you might have come across them during school," he said. Ashley nodded, still looking a bit shocked. The others didn't really minded, given it was a lot to take in. Learning about the supernatural world and all. However, Ashley already knew about that. Shocking thing was that she really liked the guy and the people she met but they turned out to be the natural enemies of her family. 

After chatting about the whole situation a bit more Paul brought Ashley outside to let her breath and take it all in, in a more comfortable area. Ashley chose to sit in silence for a little while before turning to Paul. " So, what's imprintee?" she asked. Paul smiled. " It's like having a soulmate. When a shape-shifter imprints on someone, he becomes unconditionally bound to her for the rest of his life. When it happens it is like everyone and everything else in his life becomes secondary, and only the imprintee is left to matter, leaving the shape-shifter with a deep need to do anything to please and protect his soulmate. It happens when the shifter first sees the imprintee," Paul explained. " And that's the textbook explanation, what is it really like?" Ashley asked him. Paul chuckled. " It was world shattering. Not in a bad way though, I felt like I had finally found a purpose for my life. It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like, gravity moves, suddenly. It's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does. You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, friend, brother, lover," Paul said. 

" And it happened to you with me? You imprinted on me?" Ashley asked him. That'd explain why she had a connection with him and wanted to be around him all the time. Paul nodded. " Yeah, that's why I acted so weird when I first saw you, I had just imprinted and Sam took me outside to calm me down, you see when we feel intense emotions we can phase without any control and could damage people around us. Sam wanted me to learn to control myself better if I wanted to be around you, and I did," Paul said. Ashley chuckled. " Sam's looking out for you guys, isn't he, like a big brother?" Ashley asked him. He nodded. " Yeah, he was the first one to turn and he's the Alpha," he explained.

After that, they sat together in silence for a bit longer. Ashley tried to consume it all in and tried to find a way to make it fit with her family. " You seem okay, about all this?" Paul finally said. Ashley turned to him and gave him a smile. " Yeah, you don't see me running around with screaming for help, are you?" she asked. Paul laughed. " I am glad," he said. Then he put his hand over Ashley's. Ashley looked at their hands and then to Paul.

He was her soulmate. 

Ashley leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Paul immediately gave in and with his other hand caressed her cheek. Ashley wasn't scared, with the newly found knowledge she knew, deep in her heart that she trusted Paul. She found herself moving to his lap as she deepened the kiss.

With their new position, Paul's arms were around her waist and back and she was holding his face between her hands. His hot arms made her body feel like she was inside a bath and she was melting with the touch of Paul. Then, Paul moved into her neck, kissing all of the places until he found a spot that he had liked. Ashley couldn't help but moan softly at his touch. The feeling of warm lips around her neck made her feel all tingly and this unknown feeling was something she quite liked.

Then it all stopped when Ashley's phone rang. 

Paul stopped and they both looked at each other for a second before breaking into laughter. When she took her phone she saw that it was her dad. " Shoot, it's my dad," Ashley said as she got up from Paul's lap and opening the call. " Hey, dad!" Ashley said, trying to hide her short-breath caused by a make-out session. " Ashley, I need you to come home, right away," he said. Ashley could sense something was not right. " Did something happen?" she asked her dad. She heard him sigh. " Just come as soon as possible," he said before ending the call. 

" Is something wrong?" Paul asked her after hearing the conversation. Ashley turned to her. " I don't know, I think so, but I need to go," she said. Paul nodded. " You can call me, afterward, if something is wrong," Paul offered. Ashley smiled. ' A friend' he had said. " I know, thanks," she said as she took a step towards her car. " Tell everyone it was nice to meet them," she said. Paul nodded. " You can come by anytime you want, you are a part of the pack now," he said. Ashley felt a genuine smile forming on her face. She kissed Paul goodbye and hopped onto her car.

As Ashley thought of everything she had just learned and whether to tell her parents she knew or not, the ride was over. She knew they'd probably be able to smell Paul on her and she'd probably get scolded for it.

When she went in her mom was in the middle of the room, shouting. Her dad was trying to call her down so Ashley walked over to her grandparents. " Hey honey," Esme instantly smiled and kissed her forehead. 

" He's here," Alice announced as she came and took her seat next to Jasper. " Oh, great," Edward murmured as he came in and saw his family. " Edward," Carlisle started but Rosalie interrupted. " Where are you coming from Edward?" She asked him in a harsh tone.

Ashley leaned back to her grandmother, " Uh, what's happening?" She asked her. Esme gave her a weak smile. " Alice had a vision," Esme whispered to her. Ashley nodded as she listened to the interaction. 

" It's not like I told her what we are! Just that I can hear people's thoughts!" Edward fought back. " Yeah, going around telling a human who already has suspicions you have a supernatural ability isn't risky!" Rosalie said back. She was just incredibly worried over her family. The human could have blown their cover and all of them would be affected. She also had a daughter she needed to think of and she was above anything else for Rosalie. "It's just a matter of fact before you tell her about us!" Rosalie added and earned a growl from Edward.

Ashley watched the scene unfolding before her. She didn't like it when her family was fighting, just like her grandmother.

" I am going out," Edward finally said, aiming for the window. " Oh, great," Rosalie and Ashley mumbled at the same time. They watched Edward becoming a blur and disappearing. Ashley had an idea of where he was headed but she chose to keep mouth shut. " Rose, calm down," Jasper murmured, moving toward her. " He's gone already," he added, patting her shoulder. Rosalie looked up to her brother and sighed. 

After the events of today, Ashley decided that telling her family that she knew about the wolves would cause even a bigger chaos and she just decided to sleep on it. Excusing Edward's departure she went to her room and then went to sleep with thousand thoughts roaming her.


	8. Seven

Next morning, after waking up and having her breakfast Ashley got a call from Bella. She said that she got the book and if she wanted she could come over and work on the project. After quickly checking out with her parents, she was soon on her way.

Ashley softly knocked on the door. To her surprise, Chief Swan opened the door. " Good morning, you must be Ashley," he said, holding a cup of coffee. Ashley smiled as she came in. " Good morning, yes that's me," she said. " Sorry, the house is a bit messy, Bells just informed me of you coming, and I was leaving for the weekend," He said as Ashley made her way to the living room. Ashley shrugged. " No worries Chief, I'm sure Bella and I will manage," she replied.

Bella shortly came down and after saying goodbye to her dad they sat at the table with Bella's laptop open and the book. As Bella was typing down something Ashley grabbed the book to take a look inside. Bella must've been reading it because she had left some kind of a bookmark. When Ashley read the page, she instantly held her breath. The page was talking about the tribe's enemy, specifically the 'cold ones'. Bella had circled the word. Just like her mother predicted, she was close to finding out their secret.

Both of the girls were distracted by the events they experienced yesterday.

After a thirty-minute of sloppy working, they both decided on a break. Ashley didn't have anything particular against Bella, she seemed to make her uncle happy and her mother sad. She didn't know where to stand on.

" So, uhm, Ashley, we're friends, right?" Bella asked Ashley out of the blue. Ashley furrowed her brows. " Yeah, I mean, yes," She murmured, not really knowing what to say. " Even though we haven't spent much time together I feel like I can trust you like you're a true friend," Bella said. Ashley didn't know how to respond so she smiled in return.

" Some things happened yesterday, with your brother," Bella said and Ashley bit her lip. " Yeah? He didn't really tell us much yesterday," Ashley said in response. " While I was getting the book, uhm, I was kind of attacked by some drunk guys, Edward showed out of nowhere and he saved me, I think, " Bella said. Ashley nodded, not really knowing what to say. " When I asked him how he found me he said that he could hear people's thoughts," Bella added and Ashley took a big breath. Sometimes her uncle was really irresponsible. " Oh, wow, uhm, I'm surprised he told you," Ashley said.

Bella shrugged. She wasn't also sure of what to say, she knew even though they were 'friends' Ashley probably wouldn't choose her friendship with Bella over her family. She wasn't going to tell her anything. Plus, the things she read yesterday night was creeping on Bella's mind, even though it came on as bizarre most of the facts were there.

After an awkward chat about her brother and slightly more sloppy-work, Ashley decided to leave. She didn't have anything Bella and she mostly liked hanging out with her but the grounds they were on at the moment wasn't anything good. As Ashley got into her car and started driving she realized she didn't want to go back home, not yet. Instead, she called Paul.

" Hey beautiful," he opened the phone. A smile formed on Ashley's face. " Hey, what's up?" Ashley asked him. " Nothing much, I'm at Emily's," he replied. " Oh," Ashley said, " I was wondering if I could come over," she said, biting her lip. " Of course! They love to have you here just as much as I," Paul said. " Alright then, I'm on my way," Ashley replied.

About half an hour later Ashley parked outside of Emily's house and Paul was there, waiting for her. After she got out she was instantly hugged by Paul and he started to kiss his face. She giggled at the interaction. " You seem to be in a good mood," Ashley commented as Paul grabbed her hand and started walking. " I am since you're here," he replied and Ashley blushed. She realized she was constantly blushing and grinning like an idiot around Paul. " So, what was it yesterday? Is something wrong?" Paul asked her. Ashley shrugged. " Something about my brother," she murmured when they entered.

Jared was there, eating some muffins. Emily was behind him she seemed to be cooking something. " Hey," Emily said when she spotted Ashley. She came over and gave her a hug. To be honest, Ashley liked the warm welcome she got from these people. " Are you hungry? I have some muffins and I'm cooking some steak for the boys," Emily said. Ashley shrugged. " I can never say no to the muffins," she said as she sat down to the table and grabbed one.

" So, what do you guys usually do?" Ashley asked before taking a bite out of the muffin. " We do patrols, and when we're not doing that we're either at school or here," Jared answered. " Hmm," Ashley replied. At the moment she was more focused on the muffin rather than the conversation. It was amazing. " I'm glad you're enjoying Emily's cooking, she's amazing," Paul said to Ashley. She giggled. " She's as good as my grandma," she murmured.

They chatted for a while until Emily came and grabbed Jared's shoulders. " Jared, be a dear and help me go to the store, while the meat is deforesting I need to shop," she said. " What? But we shopped the other day! How it's all gone already?" Jared exclaimed. " Well, you guys eat like wolves too, what can I do?" Emily said with a chuckle. Jared rolled his eyes and got up. " Fine, let's go," he said.

Ashley watched them leave with a smile on her lips. " They're not going to the store, are they?" She asked Paul. He grinned and then shook his head. " No," he said, " I think they're just giving us some privacy," he added. Ashley blushed. " Hm, are they now?" Ashley asked with a cocked brow. Paul chuckled as he leaned in and their lips met.

As Paul slid his tongue in his hands traveled to her waist and pulled her to herself. She smirked at him through the kiss and put her hands to his hair. They weren't very long but just enough to get her hands into it and maybe even pull a bit. As she did it she heard Paul growl. Paul was shirtless as usual and she was sitting on his lap.

Ashley trusted Paul but they weren't even dating, not officially at least, and even if they were they hadn't been together for a long time and she wasn't sure she wanted to go further just yet. Like her mother and aunt said before their first date, she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to.

A couple of minutes later she leaned back. Paul didn't react and instead kissed her nose. Ashley was his world now, as long as she was happy, he didn't mind. " What would you like to do?" Paul asked his imprint. Ashley shrugged. " I don't really mind, as long as I get to eat another of those muffins," she said. 

The following Monday Ashley woke up happily. The past days she spent with Paul affected her positively. She was giggling and laughing like a child, all the time. Her family had also seen the change in her and even though they kind of knew the source of it, and weren't happy about it, they liked seeing Ashley beaming with happiness.

During the weekend Edward was almost never home. It was for Ashley's advantage because she couldn't cloud her thoughts going to Paul and the wolves and she certainly didn't need her family knowing she knew the secret.

However, during the morning, Edward asked her to ride with him. Ashley gulped as she took a seat in the car. As Edward started driving Ashley thought of why Edward asked to ride with him. " We've been kind of worried about you," Edward finally said. " Don't even try to deny it, you've been spending a lot of time with them recently," Edward added. Ashley shrugged. " Yeah, I am, I like hanging out with them, he's, uhm, they're nice to me," Ashley answered. " Do they know you're a Cullen?" Edward asked his niece. Ashley shook her head. " Good, keep it that way, it'll protect you," he said. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " No, they'd, he'd never hurt me!" Ashley exclaimed suddenly.

She was his imprint like he had said, he wanted to be her protector. Not harm her. As Ashley warmed herself with the thought of it, she suddenly froze. She had thought of imprinting. Edward had heard it. " The fuck?" Edward suddenly exclaimed, pulling over to the side of the road. He turned to her. " He freaking imprinted on you?" Edward shouted.

Ashley was shocked by his reaction. " Yes," she said, " But you can't tell my parents, or anyone else, promise me," Ashley said, looking at him with her puppy eyes. They always worked. " How can I not Ashley, those dogs think they claim your or something?" Edward said. " Dogs?" Ashley asked and Edward shook his head.

" We are going to be late for school," Ashley said as she checked her phone. Edward sighed loudly. " Fine, but we are not done talking about this," he said. " Promise you won't tell anyone? I won't tell you have been going to see Bella," she said. Edward gave her a glare. " Fine," he breathed out.

After they pulled into the parking lot both Ashley and Edward spotted Bella. She was looking at them and then she turned around, heading towards the woods. " Uh-oh, you better go," Ashley commented as she got out. Edward followed behind her and started to follow Bella. Ashley sighed as she watched them going inside the woods, not knowing what would happen.

Edward nor Bella wasn't at the school during lunch. Her mother asked Ashley if she knew anything but she kept her mouth shut. However, she was worried about him. He had said that Bella attracted to him more than other humans and it was hard for him to resist her. They went to the woods and Ashley couldn't stop thinking of worst-case scenarios.

It didn't help when Edward didn't come back to the house until midnight. He briefly came in, informed the family that he was going hunting and then left again. Her parents were watching TV and Ashley threw her body to the empty spot next to them. " I'm worried about Uncle Edward," she murmured. Emmett turned off the TV as he and his wife turned to their daughter. " We'll take care of it, kiddo," Emmett said to her daughter. Ashley shrugged. " How? You can't lock him somewhere, plus, I kind of like Bella, we're friends, and I feel very conflicted," Ashley said. " I'm sorry honey, I never wanted you to go through something like this," Rosalie said, rubbing her daughter's shoulder. " But, just like your dad said, we'll make sure no harm comes to our family, especially you," Rosalie said embracing her daughter.

The next morning Ashley was standing in the parking lot with her family, minus her Uncle Edward when he pulled up to the school with Bella. He threw his arm over her shoulder as they walked to the door and Edward kept on smirking as people eyed the two of them. " Unbelievable," Ashley heard her mother mutter. 

Just as Ashley was walking towards the cafeteria she saw Edward. She caught his arm and dragged him to a corner in the hall. " Eddy boy," she started but Edward rolled his eyes at her. " If you're gonna pull out a Rosalie, don't bother," Edward said and Ashley glared at her. " You know I'm not that theatrical, now, tell me, I'm worried about you," Ashley said crossing her arms on her chest.

" Fine, she knows," Edward said. Ashley furrowed her brows as she leaned in to repeat his words. " She knows?" Ashley said. Edward nodded. " She figured it all out on her own, she confronted me yesterday," Edward explained. Ashley sighed. " Great," she said under her breath, " How about you? I thought it was hard being around her," Ashley asked. Edward shrugged. " It's even harder not to be around her, I don't know, I guess I just stopped caring, I'm going to hell anyway," he said. Ashley rolled her eyes to her uncle one more time. " Mom could actually kill you this time," Ashley said. Edward chuckled. " When doesn't she want to?"

After her brief talk with Edward, she went to the cafeteria and found her family sitting at their usual table. A couple of minutes later Edward walked in with Bella and they sat together in a table, away from them. " That's an unexpected surprise," Jasper said as he eyed them. " Well, she probably has a lot of questions, you know, and he's just answering them," Ashley commented as she dived into her food. " She has a lot of questions about what?" Alice asked her niece.

Ashley held her breath with her aunt's question. Hadn't Edward told them? Had she just spilled something she shouldn't have? " Ashley," she heard her mother call her name. " Uhm, well," Ashley panted as she eyed her uncle talking to Bella and then her family. Her parents, uncle, and aunt had dropped whatever they were doing and leaned towards Ashley, expecting an answer from her. " I thought he told you too, I didn't know he only told me," Ashley said and her dad raised an eyebrow. " Bella knows, she figured it on her own apparently," she said quickly. " That moron," Rosalie muttered as she glared at Edward.

" Mom," Ashley interjected, " Please don't freak out," she said. Yes, this was the first time a human besides Ashley knew what they were and it was probably going to change a lot of things but having her mom or anyone else from the family freaking out wouldn't help them find a solution. Rosalie looked at her daughter and she took a deep breath. " Fine," she said.

The rest of the day Edward spent it with Bella, even after school. Ashley went back to the house with her family. Esme was shocked as expected of her. After Carlisle came back and he was also informed of the situation they all started waiting for Edward.

Edward came back close to midnight, expecting his family to be waiting for him. " I guess you guys know too," he said as he gave Ashley a look. She shrugged instead of answering. " Son," Carlisle said, " What happened?" he asked him. Edward looked at him. " She put the clues together, I didn't tell her a goddamn thing and she figured it out, all on her own," Edward said. Rosalie rolled her eyes. " She wouldn't have any clues to put together if you'd just keep your damn distance," She said.

Edward shrugged. " What even is the significance of this human? Why her?" Jasper asked his brother. Everyone turned to Edward. They've all been wondering the same thing, after everything they've been through what had this human had that the others didn't?

" I don't know, I can't hear her thoughts, that's what got my attention at first, and then her blood, it's different for me, it's so hard to resist but when I got to know her more, I don't know," Edward said, taking breaks, not fully knowing what to say or describe his relationship for Bella. " You have feelings for her," Esme suddenly said, " You do, don't you?" she asked her son.

Even Ashley could see the little smirk Edward had when he was asked the question. It quickly went away but everyone caught it. " Is this even making some sense? He just admitted that her blood is hard to resist and now he wants to be with her?" Rosalie said.

" Alright, everyone take a step back," Carlisle said looking at Rosalie then turned to Edward. " Edward, is it true?" he asked him. Edward shrugged, not wanting to admit it verbally. " Yeah," he muttered at last, " I guess I do," he said.

Silence fell upon the room. Everyone was thinking about a possible relationship between Edward and Bella and how it would affect everything. " She won't say anything, I promise," Edward said, hearing thoughts from the rest of his family. Carlisle looked at Esme and they shared a look together. " Then I guess you should bring her home, so we could be formally introduced," Carlisle said. 

Almost no one was immediately happy to meet the human but except for Ashley's mom, everyone got over it until the time she came home. Her grandpa, grandma, and mom were cooking something for Bella. Esme grilled Edward about the little 'date' they had after Edward rescued Bella, and since she ate Italian food that night, they decided to stick with Italian to make sure she'd eat it. Ashley and her dad were watching them. " Grandma, you should just cook some of your regulars, I'm sure she'd like it," Ashley said, watching a small portion of her family trying to cook Italian. Esme smiled at her granddaughter as a thank you. " Is she even Italian?" Rosalie asked, rolling her eyes. " Well, her name's Bella, isn't it?" Emmett said but before anyone could answer the vampires in the room looked at each other and then towards the door. Esme and Carlisle stopped with the food with a smile on their faces. " Here comes the human,"

Just like the others, Ashley turned towards the door to see Edward and Bella. Edward came in, introduced the family. Then there was a talk about the food, Bella saying she already ate, Rosalie breaking the glass, awkward talk about Bella becoming the food. Thankfully, Alice and Jasper came back to the house, just in time. Alice went straight to hug Bella as Jasper stood next to his niece. " Alice, " Edward said, " What are you doing?" he asked her. Alice gave him a smirk. " It's okay, Bella and I are going to be very good friends," she said. Edward furrowed his eyebrows as Bella stood there, not understanding many things.

" Bella," Ashley said, walking towards her, " Cmon, let me give you a tour of the house," she said as she locked arms with Bella and started walking. " I'm sorry about my mom, it's all new to us," Ashley said once they were away from the kitchen. Bella furrowed her brows. " Oh, yeah, uhm, your mom, Rosalie," she said. Ashley chuckled. " Yeah, I know, the cover-up story is messing with you," she said. Then Bella turned to Edward, who was walking after them. " I still can't believe you have a niece the same age as me," she said and Ashley shrugged.

After a brief tour, they stopped at Edward's room and Ashley decided to give them some privacy. She went back to the kitchen. " I'm sorry she didn't eat anything, grandma, but you know I'm always up for your food," Ashley said with a smile and Esme gladly provided a plate for her.


	9. Eight

When the Cullen's found out about the storm during the weekend it was already decided that they were going to play baseball. It had been a while since Ashley last saw Paul and she wanted to meet with him. " Is it okay if I pass it this time?" Ashley asked her mom and grandma. " But honey, you know I need an extra pair of fresh eyes so that I could prove your dad's been cheating," Esme said with a chuckle. " Hey! I do not cheat," Emmett said, looking up from the TV. Sometimes, when he got too excited or emotional, his accent would come out. " You so do dad!" Ashley said back. 

" Maybe you guys can invite Bella, it could be nice," Ashley offered. Edward and Bella had been spending a lot of time together and except for the little awkward encounter, their formal meeting was a slight success. " What a great idea!" Esme exclaimed. " I'll talk to Edward," she said.

Since she got out of baseball and knowing her family, they were probably going to take a few hours until they came back. After they left Ashley left her house as well. She had texted Paul earlier and they were going to meet up at his house. His house was empty and they were going to hang out. 

When Ashley pulled up she saw the door opening in the corner of her eyes. As she got out of the car Paul walked towards her with a grin on his face. He immediately pulled Ashley into a hug. " I missed you," Paul said. Ashley chuckled. " We were together a week ago," she said but Paul chuckled. 

They walked into the house. It was small and a bit messy but Ashley didn't really mind. " What should we do?" Ashley asked Paul. He shrugged. " Movie?" He asked. Ashley nodded as she hopped on to the couch and Paul walked towards the DVD collection. " Ugh, I've got action and horror," he said when he turned around to Ashley with three DVDs. " No horror," Ashley said, furrowing her eyebrows," I don't like them," she continued. Paul nodded and let go of the two he was holding. " Then it's really not that hard to choose," he said as he put the action movie on.

Halfway through the movie, Ashley's phone rang. It was her mom. Her family couldn't have been back by now, it was still too early. " Hey?" Ashley opened the phone with her brows furrowed and in a curious tone. " Ashley, where are you?" Rosalie immediately asked. " I'm with, uhm, a friend," Ashley answered. " Is something wrong, mom?" she continued, sensing the discomfort in her mom's voice. " You're in La Push, correct?" Rosalie asked. " Yeah," Ashley answered. " Good, honey, something happened and we need to take care of it, we'll be going out of town, can you stay with your friend until we take care of it?" Rosalie asked her daughter. Ashley looked at Paul, who was watching her. Ashley knew he could hear the talk so she upped her eyebrows at him, asking it was okay if she stayed with him. Paul nodded. " Sure mom," Ashley said. " Okay, honey, take care," Rosalie said before ending the call.

" Well, that was weird," Ashley said as she stared at the phone. This wasn't something her family did and that meant that something was seriously wrong. They've just supposed to be playing baseball, what could have gone wrong? Maybe it was something with Bella, maybe she hurt herself and someone lost control. Ashley shook her head with the theories. If something like that were to happen her grandpa would have handled it and they wouldn't leave the city. 

Paul offered to continue the movie. Ashley agreed but even though she was watching the screen her focus was on her family. 

At the end of the movie, Paul said that he had to go patrol. Since he didn't want to leave Ashley alone they went to Emily's. He had to go there since they always started the patrols there. On the way, Paul tried to joke and get his imprint's mind off of her family. He didn't like seeing her like that. 

When they got to Emily's, the whole pack was there. After the initial greeting Ashley excused herself to go to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Paul talked to Sam and Emily about the phone call and asked them if they could crash at their place. The pack almost always slept at the house, when they were too tired from the patrolling. Sam and Emily agreed. After Ashley was done with using the bathroom and she came out Paul said goodbye to her. Paul, Sam, and Embry left, leaving the two girls alone at the house. 

" Where's Jared?" Ashley asked Emily. " Oh, he's with his girlfriend," Emily replied as she took the plates from the table. " Let me help you," Ashley said when she realized Emily was cleaning out. " Oh, that's not necessary, honey," Emily said but Ashley insisted and they ended up cleaning up everything. Then they moved on to cooking, Emily claiming the boys coming back very hungry after every patrol. Ashley chuckled as she joined Emily preparing the food.

After they cooked the two girls ate together. Emily said they always came back late. During dinner, Emily told her about the tribe, the pack and what Paul was like before Ashley met him. " He always had been the hot-head, I mean, wolves are known to get angry easily but Paul is on another level, well, he's been better since you came in the picture, though," Emily said. Ashley smiled upon hearing the words. " It's nice to hear that," She said. They talked a bit more and cleaned up until it was time to sleep. 

Emily showed Ashley to a room. Then she gave her some comfy clothes to sleep in. " I hope they fit you," Emily said. Ashley smiled. " Thank you, Emily," she said. After changing out of her clothes to the comfy ones Emily gave her she got inside the bed. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened so she called her mother. She didn't answer so Ashley called her dad. Her dad didn't answer as well. One by one she called her grandparents then her uncles. At last, she phoned her aunt. Luckily, Alice picked it up.

" Auntie, what is going on?" Ashley immediately asked. " Ashley, it's Jasper, Alice's driving," Ashley heard her uncle. " Oh, hi Uncle Jasp, care to tell me what is going on? Why isn't anyone answering my calls?" Ashley asked her uncle. She heard her uncle sigh. " Something went wrong during the game, a vampire is after Bella so we're bringing her somewhere safe while the others are distracting the vampire, that's probably why they didn't pick up the phone," Jasper said. " Oh my god, is everyone okay? How did that happen?" Ashley quickly asked. " Everyone's fine, for now, how about we tell you the details when we come back kiddo, alright?" Jasper asked his niece. Ashley took a deep breath. " Fine, please stay safe Uncle Jasp," Ashley said before ending the call. She went to sleep with her mind on her family.

Ashley woke up because of the warmness. She was sure just having the blanket over her couldn't make her this warm so when she turned around she saw that Paul was sleeping next to her with his arm around her waist and her back leaned against his chest. " This explains it," Ashley murmured to herself as she eyed the sleeping wolf. 

Paul started to furrow his eyebrows as he was awakened by the moving in the bed. " You look cute when you're sleeping," he heard Ashley's voice. He smiled upon hearing her voice. He realized seeing or Ashley the first thing in the morning might make him love waking up every day if he got to do with Ashley. " Yeah, I'm known to be cute," he replied, opening his eyes. Ashley chuckled at the response. " When did you come back?" Ashley asked Paul as she put her head to Paul's chest and looked him in the eye. " Ugh, around midnight I guess," he answered. " You know, you snore a little," Paul said, grinning at Ashley. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows and hit Paul lightly. " No, I do not," she replied but Paul shrugged. " I have super hearing, you so do," he replied and earned another hit from Ashley.

" Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask you," Paul said after Ashley was done glaring at him. Ashley nodded. " What are you doing two weeks from now?" Paul asked her. Ashley chuckled. " Ugh, school, I think," she replied. " After that?" Paul asked. Ashley shrugged. " It's a Friday, right? That's when we have prom, I think," she replied. Paul nodded. " Yeah, so do I, I mean, that's when my school's prom is, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" Paul asked. 

An instant smile formed on Ashley's face. " I'd love to go with you," she answered. Paul started grinning. " Great, uhm, that's great! This will be the first prom I'll be going with my girlfriend," he blurted out. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " Girlfriend, huh? Is that what we are?" she asked him. Paul's grin went off of his face. " Ugh, I don't know, I thought that, aren't we dating?" he asked her. Ashley chuckled as she got out of the bed. She turned to Paul with a smirk. " You never asked me," 

When she turned back and started to head towards the door she was grabbed by her waist, turned around and her back was against the door. Paul was grinning at her. He leaned down and kissed her. " Ashley," he started, " Would you like to be my girlfriend?" he asked. Ashley nodded and with that Paul leaned forward once more and connected their lips. 

After they went down everyone was in the living room. " Good morning," Ashley said when they entered. They received the greeting. " Guys, we were thinking, since the weather is warmer than usual that we could go cliff-diving," Jared said, coming in with a toast. Ashley looked at Paul, who nodded in return. " Yeah, that'd be great," Ashley answered. After quickly eating the breakfast Emily made for the two of them, Ashley and Emily went to go change. Since they didn't have unusual body temperature and didn't only need a pair of shorts to go into the water, they needed to change.

It was a bit tricky to fit four wolves into Ashley's car but they managed to do it somehow and the ride was short from Emily's to the beach. They parked the car on the shore. They were going to hike to the top, where they'd jump. Emily stayed behind, saying she was afraid of the height. When they reached the cliff where Paul brought her on their first date, Ashley blushed with the memories of their first kiss. Paul kissed her cheek, also remembering the events that happened there. 

" Alright, who goes first?" Jared asked the group with a grin on his face. " Oh, definitely the newbie," Paul said looking at Embry. Embry looked at to the cliff then back to Paul. He smirked. " Sure, I'm up for the challenge," he said as he took off his shorts then ran towards the cliff. Ashley neared the edge to look at him. He was in the water, chuckling. " That was amazing!" they heard his shout. Then Jared quickly went by Ashley and soon he joined Embry on the water. 

Paul came near Ashley. " If it's too high for you we can go a bit lower," he offered. Ashley shook her head. She started to take her clothes off. " Go big or go home, right?" she said as she took a few steps back from the edge with a smirk. Then she started running. She passed Paul and then jumped.

The falling part wasn't as scary as Ashley imagined to be. It was actually fun, to soar through the air. The worse part was the coldness of the water after the initial shock when she dived into it. 

Soon Paul joined them. After getting back to the surface he quickly swam towards Ashley and grabbed her waist. With his warmness around her body, Ashley smiled. It was better to be in the freezing water with Paul's arms around her. The group swam a bit further and Sam jumped in. They chuckled at each other as Jared started splashing water to Ashley and Paul who were about to kiss. Ashley screamed a little with the cold water hitting her face. " Oh my god, it's cold, so cold!" 

Of course, in return, Paul and Ashley splashed water back to Jared, thus starting a war. Embry joined Jared and the two wolves started battling against the couple. It was when Sam joined the couple, they really started winning. 

Even though it was fun, the water was indeed freezing and Ashley was human. She soon started to shiver. The wolves were quick to realize it and they swam back to the shore. Luckily, Emily had brought a towel with her. She quickly wrapped it around Ashley. " Paul, go grab Ashley's clothes from the cliff," Sam ordered Paul. With a nod, Paul started to run towards the cliff. Then Sam turned to the other two boys. " Let's go grab some stuff to light the bonfire," Sam said.

Paul quickly returned and after drying her body with the towel Ashley got dressed. After tucking her wet hair to her hoodie, Ashley walked towards Emily, who seemed like she was working on something. When Ashley neared her, she saw that she was preparing some food. Ashley quickly joined in to help her. Emily smiled at her and they made a bunch of sandwiches by the time Sam and the other came back and lighting a fire. 

Everyone was sat around the fire. Ashley was half laying on Paul, his arms wrapped around her to keep her warm. Opposite of them were Sam and Emily, Sam laying on Emily's lap and Emily playing with Sam's hair. Jared and Embry were sitting left to Paul and Ashley. After eating the sandwiches everyone got to talking with each other in pairs. 

" It was quite adventurous, wasn't it?" Paul asked his now girlfriend. Ashley looked up at him and nodded. " I'm not gonna lie, it was really fun and adventurous," she replied. Paul chuckled and leaned forward to plant a kiss on Ashley's lips. 

The group spent the next couple of hours just talking. They were care-free at the moment. They talked about their dreams and futures. Ashley and Paul were the oldest between the high schoolers and they've only got a year left before they graduated. Paul admitted that he never really thought about doing anything after he graduated. Ashley said she always wanted to study Architecture since she loved it ever since she was little and her grandpa showed her pictures of places he used to live in or visited. 

When the sun was setting the fire was almost dead so Embry and Jared left to go get more branches. Emily and Sam decided to prepare dinner for the group. Ashley and Paul found themselves taking a walk around the beach, keeping on their conversation. After a few minutes, they stopped in front of Ashley's car and stared up to the cliff. " Do you remember the night you brought me here?" Ashley asked, hopping on to the bodywork of her car. Paul smirked. " I certainly do, what about you?" he asked back as he took a step towards her. " I think I did something like this," Ashley said, leaning forward to him. " And I think I did, this," Paul whispered before leaning forward and pressing his lips to her.

Their soft kiss quickly turned into a passionate one when Ashley wrapped her legs around Paul's waist and started to pull his hair, softly. Paul's hands roamed their way through Ashley's back and eventually went inside her shirt and hoodie. 

Paul knew that with every second he spent with Ashley he was becoming more attached to her. It was like before he met her his life didn't make any sense. Like he was living inside a bubble and now he was really living his life. Ashley liked the change Paul brought into her life. Even though she knew being with Paul and being a Cullen would create a conflict in the future she hoped she'd be able to solve it, not wanting to lose both parties from her life. even though they had known each other for a few months now Ashley was in too deep, she couldn't think about her future without Paul in it.

" Oh god! My eyes! My eyes!" Someone shouted.

When the couple broke apart, they saw Jared standing a few steps away from them, covering his eyes. " Oh, I am so going to kill you," Paul said, walking towards Jared. " I am already dead! Well, my eyes are," Jared replied as Paul jumped him and Ashley chuckled. The boys sparred for a while. When they were done Ashley hopped down from the car. " Anyway, I came to let you guys know dinner is ready, although I don't know how my stomach will react to it after seeing what I did," Jared said and Ashley playfully hit his head.

After eating dinner and playing a little beach volleyball Emily and Ashley got into the car. The boys went to go patrolling as always. Ashley still hadn't heard from her family so she was going to stay over at Emily's again. On the ride back she asked Emily if it was alright and whether she'd been disturbing her and Sam but Emily laughed it off and said that she was always welcome at their house. 

The whole day was a lot tiring, especially for two humans who were trying to keep up with four werewolves. After cleaning the stuff they brought with them Ashley jumped to the bed and she was soon asleep.

Ashley woke up the next morning with the same warmness around her. To be honest, she liked the warm, given how Forks or La Push, was one of the coldest places in the country and no matter how thick she dressed or how many blankets she had they didn't keep her warm like Paul's body had. 

Then her phone started vibrating on the nightstand beside the bed. " Your phone's been doing that for a couple of hours now," Paul murmured, still sleeping. Ashley softly chuckled as she reached forward to grab her phone. There were messages from her family. Most of them were by her mom. The first message said that they took care of whatever the problem was and they were on their way. Then it was that Bella woke up but Ashley didn't know what Bella had woken up from. The last messages were of Ashley's parents getting close to Forks and the last one was that they arrived and Ashley needed to come home as soon as she saw the messages.

" Babe?" Ashley softly said to Paul, turning to him. Paul smiled before opening his eyes. " It's hot, to hear you say that," he said. Ashley rolled her eyes. " Anyway, my mom texted, they're back, I need to go," she murmured. 

The couple spent a few more extra minutes in the bed, saying goodbye. Then they went downstairs. Only Emily was there. Sam and Embry had gone shopping and Jared went to go see his girlfriend. After hugging Emily goodbye Ashley went to her car. Paul stood outside of the house, watching her leave.

They both wished that their little getaway time didn't had to end.

When Ashley got home her parents, Aunt Alice, and her grandma were there. Rosalie threw her arms around her daughter when she came into the room. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she had been thinking that if they didn't handle James properly he'd come after them and hurt Ashley in the process.

After hugging everyone Rosalie and Emmett led Ashley to her room. " We owe you an explanation," Rosalie said sitting to Ashley's bed. Ashley sat next to her mom, nodding her head. " You see, kiddo, with our kind, sometimes there are these ones we call 'trackers'. When they spot a victim for themselves to feed on it becomes a game for them. and the tracker we encountered, James, he chose Bella because she was with us. We had to get her to safety and also distract James and the rest of his coven from Bella's real whereabouts," Emmett said and then they told Ashley about the events that happened. James not being fooled by the game, going to Phoneix, pulling Bella into a trap, and then her family arriving just in time to finish him off. Bella was now awake, in a hospital. Her uncles and grandma had stayed there to give Bella's family a cover-up story.

" Wow, that's, wow, I don't know what to say," Ashley said when her parents finished explaining. " I am just so glad that you ditched the game this time, I don't want to think if that piece of shit laid his eyes on you," Rosalie said, pulling her daughter into a hug. Soon Emmett joined them and they stayed like that for a while.


	10. Nine

The next two weeks were uneventful. Carlisle, Jasper, Edward, and Bella had returned back to Forks. Edward was still feeling a bit guilty but Bella and Ashley helped him get over it. Most of Bella's injuries were now healed, only leaving her leg in plaster. 

The Cullens went to school as usual. Whenever the chance he got Edward pulled Ashley aside to talk about the situation he found out before James happened. Ashley kept telling him that she didn't want him to tell her parents about the imprinting. God knew how they react, especially her mom, and she wanted a little peace and quiet at least for a little longer.

The Prom was nearing and although it did take a lot of convincing Ashley was going with Paul. Rosalie was not happy, she had been suspecting Ashley involving with 'them' but now that she was going as one of their dates she knew it was becoming something serious with the two. 

Alice and Rosalie had taken Ashley out on shopping. Alice was always up for dressing up Ashley, given she had a literate degree in fashion, and they at least wanted to pick out her dress because Ashley was going to get ready at Emily's with Kim, who was Jared's girlfriend. Paul couldn't exactly come to their house to pick her up for several reasons and it'd be easier to go to school from Emily's.

It took the whole day, they skipped school, for Alice to find the perfect dress for her niece. They were at Port Angeles. Ashley liked spending time with her mom and aunt but even she knew how her aunt got when it was shopping and Ashley was hoping Alice didn't drag them across the whole place, making her dress every single outfit. " You look stunning honey!" Alice exclaimed after several hours when she saw Ashley coming out of the dressing room. Rosalie smiled to herself as she took out her phone and took a photo of her daughter. 

After getting Ashley some food they were soon on their way back. " So," Alice said, " Tell us a bit of your date, we ought to know," she continued. Ashley blushed at the back seat. " Uhm, okay, what do you want to know?" she asked them. " Don't be silly Ashley, everything!" Alice said. Ashley chuckled. " Oh, okay, uhm, his name is Paul, and we get along really well. He's always so nice to me and treats me like I am some kind of princess, sometimes it really becomes like a romantic movie," Ashley said earning a giggle from her aunt. " He's not, persuasive, right?" Rosalie asked her daughter, joining on the conversation. Ashley quickly shook her head. " No mom!" Ashley exclaimed.

Rosalie could see how happy Ashley became upon talking about him. It was the first serious boy Ashley was with and even though he was a dog it seemed like he was making her happy. Plus, Ashley didn't know. Didn't know about their kind, the treaty they had with them. As long as Ashley didn't tell them she was a Cullen, she should be fine. So, for the sake of her daughter's happiness at the time being Rosalie decided not to be strict and supported her daughter.

Ashley pulled in front of Emily's straight after school ended. Her mom and aunt made her promise to send a bunch of photos through the night. When she exited the car with her stuff Kim and Emily were outside. After hugging Emily and Kim they quickly ate some food. When they were done eating the girls immediately went on to hair and makeup.

Given her aunt, Ashley was pretty good at make-up. So she did Kim's first. When Emily moved on to Kim's hair Ashley did her own. She didn't want to curl her hair like Kim did, her hair was already naturally curled a bit. So she had Emily's help on making her hair a bun and leaving a bit on the front of her hair loose. Then Kim and Ashley went to the rooms to get dressed. 

When they were done and came downstairs Emily was watching them with awe. " You girls look so pretty!" she exclaimed. The girls chuckled and of course, moved on to taking photos. Emily was gladly taking a bunch of their photos and they didn't even realize their time had passed when there was a knock at the door. 

Until then Ashley didn't realize the door was closed. It was usually open. " Oh, I am so looking forward to their faces!" Emily said as she hurried to the door. First Sam came in, kissing Emily and then turning to the two teenage girls. After him, Paul and Jared came dressed in tuxedos. Both of the wolves mouths was slammed open upon seeing their dates. Kim and Ashley chuckled at their reaction. 

" Huh, I didn't know you guys owned other pairs of clothing than a pair of shorts," Ashley said turning to Kim. All of the girls in the room burst into laughter. " Well, they clean up nice, when they want to," Emily said, putting her hands on both of the boys' shoulder and giving them a gentle nudge towards their dates. They were still a bit shocked but when the flash exploded to their faces they put on grins and posed for the camera.

" Behave yourselves, boys!" Sam shouted behind them as the two couple went to their cars. Since Jared didn't own a car Paul had given his truck to him. They were going to take Ashley's car. After they got in Paul turned to Ashley. " Wow, oh my god, you look so hot, I, wow," he said and Ashley chuckled. " You look hot in a tuxedo," she said and Paul grinned. After that, she quickly sent the photos Emily took to her mom and aunt just as she promised she would.

When Ashley parked the car Paul stopped her from going out. " Before we go in, I need to tell you something," Paul said. Ashley nodded. " Um, before I joined the pack and I met you I was a bit different from who I am now," he said. Ashley furrowed her brows. " I know you were a hot-head, Emily told me," she said. Paul softly chuckled. " Yeah, but apart from that, I was kind of a jerk to most girls at my school, and there will be a few of them here. I just don't want you to listen to them if they say something to you. I was stupid back then and I hadn't met you," Paul said. They sat in the car a while without talking. " Okay," Ashley finally said.

Ashley knew that transforming into a wolf and having the instinct to protect his lands couldn't have affected Paul. He had changed and grew up. And she cared about Paul too much that she didn't care about his past. It was before they met and she knew Paul never hurt her. She leaned forward to lightly kiss Paul on his lips to assure him that she was okay with it.

After they went in Ashley dragged Paul to the line for the photo booth. Luckily the line wasn't long and it was their turn shortly. Paul wrapped his arms around Ashley as the classic pose for these kinds of photos and both smiled to the camera. After the photo was taken Ashley realized the three girls glaring at her from the line. The girl in the middle was looking at Ashley like she wanted to kill her. She turned to Paul. " That's one of them, right?" She asked him. Paul looked at where she was looking and spotted the girl. He bit his lip. " Uh, yeah," he finally said. Ashley nodded and grabbed Paul's hand, dragging him towards Jared and Kim.

The boys left to get some drink and the girls were alone. They chatted for a while until the boys came back. " You girls want some alcohol?" Jared asked them with a chuckle. " Uhm, not for me, I still need to drive," Ashley said. Kim nodded and Jared took a flask out of his jacket and put some to other three's drinks. It didn't take them long to finish their drinks and when they did a big smile formed on Ashley's face as she heard the song that was being played. 

It was a song by Queen. Paul knew Ashley loved the band. He cocked a smile to his date. " I might know the DJ," he said and grabbed Ashley's hand, pulling her to the dance floor. The song was Love of My Life. Paul put one of his hands on Ashley's waist and the other was holding her hand. Ashley's free hand was on Paul's shoulder and she leaned on his chest. " This is really nice," she murmured and Paul softly kissed her head. " Anything for you," he said.

During the night they sang and danced. When the fast songs came on Jared and Kim joined the two of them, they jumped around and screamed the lyrics of the songs at the top of their lungs. It was pretty fun yet exhausting. Ashley spotted a few girls glaring at her and Paul through the night but she shrugged it off. She was there to have fun and nothing could stop it.

When it was time to leave Ashley had driven Paul to his house. Normally, it had to be the other way around but none of them cared, almost nothing was how it was supposed to be anyway. " I had fun," Ashley said. She knew Paul knew that but she still felt like she had to say it out loud. Paul nodded. " I'm glad you did, despite a few minor incidents," he murmured, talking about the other girls. Ashley shrugged. " They don't bother me in the slightest," Ashley replied. Paul looked at her eyes. He was looking so intensely and Ashley couldn't help but chuckle a bit. " What?" she softly asked her boyfriend. Paul shook his head. " Nothing, it's just, I realized something," he said. Ashley tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. " What?" Ashley asked again as she reached forward and grabbed one of Paul's hands. 

" I love you," Paul said slowly. 

Ashley froze and reluctantly looked up at Paul. She was shocked. She didn't expect to hear those words from him. " What?" Ashley managed to say. Paul chuckled. " You, Ashley, I love you, that's what I realized," Paul said, " Lately I found that I'm more than okay doing the things I loathe when you're with me, I love going to sleep and waking up with you being the only thing in my mind, I love the way you blush when I kiss you, I love your cute little snores, I love the way the crunch up your nose when you're laughing too hard, I have deep feelings for you that I can't explain any other way, so, I love you," he continued.

The biggest smile was formed on Ashley's face. Paul leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. It was a soft kiss. Then Paul got out of the car and waved Ashley goodbye. She started driving, still in shock. As she thought about the moment she couldn't stop giggling.

Then, guilt took over her. She didn't say it back. She wasn't ready. She knew she cared for Paul and wanted him in her life. But, at least for her, it was still too soon to say those words. She didn't feel ready. Ashley hoped that Paul could understand that. A little voice inside her head was telling her he could but she still was a little at unease.

The next morning Ashley woke up happily. Despite the aftermath, she had an amazing night with his boyfriend and he told her that he loved her. On top of that, the school was almost over, only a week was left. 

After having her breakfast cooked by her grandma the two of them joined the other females in the house. Edward was with Bella like he always been lately and the others went hunting. Alice and Rosalie were watching TV, some reality show about a famous family. Ashley was very happy, it was seen. Her eyes were literally shining and she was beaming. 

" Someone's in a good mood," Alice said as Esme and Ashley joined them. Ashley giggled. " Yeah, I am," Ashley replied, not being able to keep her energy inside anymore. Alice quickly grabbed the remote and decreased the volume. " Does it have anything to do with a certain boy?" Esme chimed in with a smile. Ashley nodded. Her heart started beating faster as she pictured the moment between her and Paul yesterday night. " He told me he loved me," Ashley exclaimed. Esme and Alice squealed. " And it was in the sweetest way possible, even though he told me I snored but said that he liked that too," Ashley continued with a huge smile. Rosalie chuckled. " 

Well, the snoring part, that's actually true," she said to her daughter. Ashley rolled her eyes but giggled once more like a child. " You've really gotten him under your spell, haven't you?" Alice asked her niece. Ashley shrugged. " But I didn't say it back, I kind of feel guilty about that, I felt like I wasn't ready, even though he was," Ashley said, with less energy than the previous moment. " That's okay, honey," Esme said as she rubbed Ashley's shoulder. " If he loves you, and I believe he does, he won't mind waiting," she continued. Ashley nodded and laid back on the couch. 

After a while of watching TV, Rosalie sighed loudly as she turned off the TV. " It's a beautiful day and I don't think we should spend it inside, let's have a girls day," Rosalie said. All of the other females agreed immediately and they were shortly inside the car. " And during the drive, Ashley can tell us all about the boy!" Alice squealed with joy as she started driving. 

They went to Port Angeles, with Alice being like the rest of her family, they were there way shorter than they should have. But it didn't stop Alice from getting the details out of Ashley like she wanted. Her Aunt Alice knew how to be persuasive. 

The group shopped, grabbed some drinks, only Ashley of course, and chatted. Ashley turned bright red at every question about Paul and the others enjoyed seeing Ashley like that. None of them were happy about the boy being one of them, but he made Ashley happy, that was seen crystal clear. Plus, they were going to leave in a couple of years, and it was only fair that Ashley lived the teenage years like she was supposed too. With having a boyfriend usually, her family didn't approve of. The thought made Rosalie chuckle to her own. Then she turned to her daughter. She was talking to Alice and Esme about the boy and she was smiling like an idiot. It was really nice to see her daughter like that and Rosalie didn't want to ruin it. It would crash Ashley and Rosalie couldn't do that too her daughter. 

When they arrived home, all of the males were already home. They were in the living room. Except for Emmett's, their reactions were unreadable. Emmett's was like he was about to kill somebody. " What's going on?" Rosalie interjected. Carlisle sighed and walked to Ashley. " Before we go into the matter at hand, Ashley, Esme and I have a graduation gift for you," Carlisle said. Esme walked to his side and hugged him. " We know about your university plans, about what to major in, and we thought that getting to know the job before studying it would be nice for you," Esme said. " I made some calls and we got you a summer internship in an architecture firm in Washington D.C.," Carlise continued. 

Ashley looked at her grandparents in shock. " Oh my god! Really? You guys are the best!" Ashley exclaimed and hugged them. " That's amazing, oh my god, I can't believe this," she shouted and hugged her mom. Rosalie hugged her daughter back.

" Now, back to the matter at hand," Carlisle said and gestured everyone to sit. Ashley looked at her mom for an explanation but she shrugged, hinting that she didn't know either. After everyone sat down, Edward got up. " I'm sorry Ashy, it's gone for far too long and I had to tell them," Edward said, using his nickname for Ashley. Her heartbeat started getting faster as Rosalie turned to her daughter asking what was Edward going to tell them. " She knows," Emmett growled, " About the Quileute's," he continued. " What?" Rosalie exclaimed.

" Edward!" Ashley exclaimed at the same time. Edward shrugged in response. " Ashley, you promised us to not dig into it!" Rosalie said. Ashley closed her eyes for a second before opening it again to gather it again. " And I didn't, he told me himself, I didn't dig into it," Ashley said remembering the moment he transformed in front of her to show to Edward as proof. 

" Unfortunately, that's not it," Edward said and he picked up a book from the stand. It was a blue book. It looked familiar. " This is a copy of the Quileute Legends I got from Bella, it tells us all about their kind," he said and gave it to Rosalie. " You might want to read on the 'imprinting' part Rosalie," he said. 

Rosalie grabbed the book with her brows furrowed and started to read it fastly. She gasped loudly as she read about the part Edward told her to read. Then she looked at her daughter. " Mom, I'm so sorry, please don't be mad," Ashley said. Rosalie bit her lip. " Ashley, go to your room honey, please," Rosalie said, as calm as she could at the moment. 

Ashley listened and quickly went to her room. As soon as she stepped inside her room the yellings had started. They were mainly Edward and her parents. Emmett was furious about the imprinting, the claim the 'dog' thought he had a claim on her daughter. Rosalie was furious about her mate, not seeing the way their daughter was, happy. She didn't particularly like the idea either but as a mother, Ashley's happiness and safety was her first priority. However, overall, both of them were furious about Edward not telling them as soon as he found about it. 

When the fighting was over Rosalie came into her daughter's room with a knock. " Hey sweety, can we talk?" she asked her daughter. Ashley nodded but she was worried. Her mother had defended her but it didn't mean she would get a private scolding. 

" I don't know if they told you about this but when we were here, before, and we came across them and we made a deal. We told them that we were different from the rest of our kind, that we fed on animals rather than humans. In exchange for us not harming any humans and staying off their land, they'd agree to a truce. That's why none of us, except for you, no Cullen could go over to their lands. La Push. That was the reason why we didn't want you going there, we couldn't protect you if you were in their lands, if something was to happen to you. That's why Edward told you not to tell your surname because they know who we are. We just wanted to protect you, they hate us and any excuse would be justifiable for them," Rosalie explained to her daughter. She covered the questions Ashley had on her mind. 

" You don't seem mad about the imprinting?" Ashley reluctantly asked her mother. Rosalie sighed. " I was, at first, I processed it now," she replied. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " Why? You hate them, you were against me even making a project about them in the first place, how do you seem so calm about this, mom?" Ashley asked Rosalie.

Rosalie softly chuckled. " Because I'm a mom, honey, believe me when I say I don't like them but one of them makes you happy, and seeing you like that makes me happy. I don't know much about imprinting but it's obvious he or none of the other dogs will hurt you based on from what I read. Your safety and happiness are all that matters to me and it seems like that boy, Paul, does this for you. I love you so much to ruin that for you, you're my baby," Rosalie said. Ashley was teared up at that point. " I love you too, mom," she said as she hugged her mom. " You're really the best mom I could ever ask for," she continued. Rosalie smiled and started to play with her daughter's hair.

The next week went by fast. As it was the last week, most of the teachers let the classes pass by without doing any proper lessons. Despite her mom's talks, Emmett was still furious about the whole thing and he wanted Ashley to leave for Washington as soon as possible. He even bought a ticket for the next Monday.

The friend that Carlisle had said that Ashley could start her internship whenever she wanted so that was to Emmett's advantage. Rosalie tried her best to convince Emmett to let their daughter stay but he was adamant. He thought if Ashley got away long enough, the stupid dog would let go of her daughter. His wife had tried to say that it didn't work that way but Emmett was willing to risk it.

Ashley wasn't too happy about leaving but she was excited about the chance. Since it was the last week and she was leaving soon, her aunt dragged Ashley and her mom to a shopping spree. It was also an excuse to spend some time with Ashley before she left for two months. They were happy for her yet she was going to be missed terribly.

In the meantime, Ashley hadn't seen Paul since their prom. They had texted and talked on the phone. Ashley didn't tell him about the things that happened with her family and he was too focused anyway. He admitted to Ashley that, he didn't tell him before but there were some sighting of new cold ones around and Sam had made them patrol even more. It was understandable, given their instinct. Ashley pretended to be shocked but she knew of James and his coven. Sam was making them work more for a chance of them coming again. Ashley knew that at least one of them was never coming back but the wolves didn't know that.

She hated lying to him. But she couldn't tell him, not now at least. Yes, she was human and that wasn't against their deal but she still didn't know how Paul would take it. The way they talked about her family scared Ashley.

Then Paul offered to meet up on Sunday. He said that he didn't have much time because of the patrols but all he wanted to do was to see her anyway so as long as the short time wouldn't be a problem, he was okay with it. Ashley accepted, given it was the only time she could see him before she left.

Ashley was literally counting the minutes until it was finally the day and time of their meet-up. She had her mom stalling her dad so she could go. Her dad was still unhappy and probably wouldn't let her go see Paul.

As she neared Emily's house a funny feeling emerged in her stomach. She was excited, to see Paul and tell him about her big news. He was probably going to be happy at first but then upon learning that she had to leave he'd be sad. 

When she was dived too deep into her thoughts, she had already arrived. As she was getting out Paul came near her like a blur and wrapped his arms around her. He started kissing Ashley's face and made her giggle. " I missed you so much!" he said and Ashley chuckled. " I missed you too," she said and planted a kiss on Paul's lips. After they were done greeting each other Ashley grabbed Paul's hands. " Will you walk with me for a bit?" she asked him.

Of course, Paul didn't decline and they started to walk towards the forest. " Is something wrong?" Paul asked her. Ashley shook her head. " No! The opposite, actually. I have some big news and I don't know how you'll react," she told him. " Hm," Paul murmured. 

" As a graduation gift, my family got me an internship, in an architecture firm," Ashley said. " Oh my god, that's amazing Ashley!" Paul said with a grin. He knew her interest in the field and that was such a big opportunity for her. " Thanks! I know! I'm not even in college, heck, I haven't even graduated from high school but they're letting me, intern, there," Ashley said.

" Why where you worried about my reaction?" Paul asked his girlfriend. " Oh," Ashley shrugged, " Uhm, as much great the opportunity is, the firm's in Washington D.C.," she continued. " Ow," Paul mumbled. " How long will you be gone?" he asked her again. " I'm leaving tomorrow and probably be back at the beginning of September," she answered. " Two months?" Paul exclaimed. " What will I do two months without you?" he quickly added. Ashley tilted her head. " I'm sorry, but it's a huge opportunity and me," she got interrupted by Paul's lips. 

He kissed her longingly and lovingly. 

" You shouldn't miss that chance, I get it, plus, I'll be here two months later," he said. Ashley smiled. " Thank you, Paul," she replied and wrapped his arms around his neck, bringing him closer and then kissing him.

Paul wasn't lying when he said what a wolf would do for his imprintee. Their happiness was all that mattered to them and this internship miles away would make Ashley happy. So Paul was happy. He was certainly not going to be an obstacle on her way. 

After they said their goodbyes it was time for both of them to leave. The rest of the pack were at the patrol, Paul had asked Sam for a brief break to see her. Ashley quickly said hi to Emily and informed her about the internship. Emily was happy for her as well. The three chatted for a little bit and then Ashley got into her car. They said goodbye for two months in the woods and she was happy at the turnout. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting to the end of Twilight :) New Moon storyline approaches...


	11. Ten

* 2 months later*

The whole Cullen family except for Edward was at the airport to greet Ashley back. Edward was with Bella. Ashley learned that he spent the whole vacation with her almost all the time. She was a bit disappointed in her uncle for not coming but she kind of understood and was sure he'd make up for it, somehow.

She spent the whole ride back and the evening telling the family about her internship. Because of her grandfather knowing the head of the firm, she wasn't given the crappy intern job of getting coffee, taking the trash out or anything unrelated to the work and actually learned something. She was now sure that being an architect was what she wanted. 

When Ashley woke up all she wanted to do was to go see Paul. He hadn't known that she was back. The original plan was for her to come back Sunday night because school was starting Monday. But with a little help from her mom, she came back Saturday. Her dad was still not fond of the idea of Paul and Ashley being with him. 

After having her breakfast Ashley pulled her mom aside. Rosalie was expecting the request from her daughter, she didn't understand the wolves and the imprinting very well but she understood love and she could see her daughter wanting to see the dog. 

" I know dad's still against it, but I'd like to surprise him, you know?" Ashley asked her mother. Rosalie softly smiled. " I understand honey, I'll keep your dad busy," she responded. Even if he despised the boy and the situation, upon seeing the way Ashley's eyes shined Rosalie never became surer of her decision.

Rosalie ended up convincing Emmett to go for hunting and a little date of their own and he gladly accepted it. After seeing her parents becoming blur inside the forest Ashley started getting ready. It didn't take her long, given she wanted to get to Emily's house as soon as possible.

Just as she was going out she got stopped by Edward. " Hey, guess my little pain in the ass is back," he said smiling and opening his arms for a hug. Ashley smiled back as she ran to her uncle's arms and hugged him back. She missed him. 

After the hug, Ashley hit Edward as hard as he could. " You asshole, I still haven't forgotten what you did before I left and you not coming," she said. Edward softly nodded his head. " I never thought you did," he responded and Ashley rolled her eyes. Then she walked beside him towards the garage. " Going somewhere?" Edward asked behind her back. She nodded. 

As Ashley got inside the car she felt the sudden movement in the car. It was Edward. " What are you doing?" Ashley asked him. Edward shrugged. " I know where you're headed, Emmett will have my head if I let you go," he said. Ashley rolled her eyes again. " Mom knows," she said but Edward shrugged again.

Ashley sighed loudly as she turned on the car. Not even her vampire uncle could stop him from going. Edward seemed to lay back on the seat but Ashley was going to make him pay. So she started driving.

Ashley came to Bella's house. She got off the car and quickly went to knock on the door. Charlie Swan opened the door and Ashley couldn't be happier. " Ashley, I didn't know you were back!" Charlie said. " How was the capital?" he asked her. Ashley smiled as she heard Edward getting out of the car and walking towards them. " Very educational sir, is Bella here?" she asked him. Charlie nodded and called for Bella. 

Bella quickly came down the stairs, Ashley was happy to see that she was recovered completely. " Ashley, hey! Welcome back!" she said and Ashley gave her a hug. " I drove my brother to here on my way, I hope it's not a problem," Ashley said sweetly gesturing Edward. Edward gave her a frown. " Oh, no problem at all, Bells was just helping me move some stuff, we're re-decorating," Chief Swan quickly explained. Ashley smiled. " Great! I'm sure my brother would love to help!" 

Under Chief Swan's glared to Edward and Edward's glares to her Ashley managed to get back on her car and start driving. She knew that with Chief Swan there Edward couldn't speed up and stop her and she knew that he had his eyes fixed on Edward. While she was away she talked to her family and Edward told her in one of their short conversations that Chief Swan wasn't happy with Edward, ever since the accident. 

Edward was the least one Ashley talked to because she was still angry about the whole revealing Paul had imprinted on her thing so she didn't accept most of his calls and when she did, they weren't long conversations.

Ashley giggled to herself as she thought of Edward's face and she was about to see Paul. She couldn't stop smiling as she went over Paul's reaction scenarios in her head for the whole way. 

After she parked outside of Emily's house she found it silent, more than the usual amount. She figured if he was here he'd come out upon hearing the car's voice. She sighed as she got in.

Ashley found Emily by herself, cooking. " Hey," she said softly, not to freak her out. Emily turned around with a big smile on her face. " Ashley! You're back!" She exclaimed and ran to gave Ashley a hug. " We missed you! The pack wasn't complete without you," she said. Ashley smiled at her words. " I missed you guys too,"

Emily informed Ashley that they shouldn't be expecting the boys for another few hours. That they were on patrol and Embry had a misfortune while she was gone so that they were also teaching him to control his wolf form. Ashley understood the wolves had a duty and it had to come before. Plus, they had all day. She didn't mind waiting a few more hours after two months. 

The girls ended up cooking together. Halfway through the meat getting cooked Emily started to cook her muffins, remembering how much Ashley loved them and she decided to cook them to celebrate. 

When the muffins hit the oven, all that was left for them to do was wait. Emily opened the TV and switched the channels until she found something that both of them liked and they got to watching it. 

The girls didn't understand how the time went by as they watched a couple of episodes from a show they both loved. As Emily was taking out the muffins and Ashley preparing the table they heard the voices coming outside. " Looks like they're back," Emily said with a smirk and went inside the kitchen. 

" Hey Emily, why's Ashley's car here?" Ashley heard his voice. Paul had just asked that while coming inside and his head was turned towards the car. When he looked inside he froze when his eyes landed on Ashley. She gave him a smile and Paul closed and opened his eyes to prove to himself he wasn't imagining this.

After getting her proof he quickly walked towards Ashley and threw his arms around her, embracing her body and diving his head to her neck. Ashley did the same. " I missed you," Paul whispered to her. " I missed you too, too much," Ashley responded and they stayed like that until Jared called her name.

Upon hearing her name she and Paul parted away. Ashley gave Jared a hug as well and then Emily let everyone know the food was ready. While they ate Ashley felt like she never left. The boys were boys, they were joking and she truly felt like she was one of them. A real member of their pack. 

As soon as they were done eating Paul had grabbed Ashley's hand and dragged her outside. " That was a bit rude," Ashley said chuckling. Paul shrugged. " I'm sure they'll understand," he replied and they went inside the woods. When Paul was sure they were out of the hearing range from the others he crashed his lips to Ashley's.

It didn't take them a long time to turn it into a hot make-out session. 

" Oh my god, I missed you so much," Paul murmured after they were done and sitting beside the tree, Ashley inside Paul's arms. Ashley nodded, she felt the same way. She had fun in Washington and it helped shape her future but it didn't change the fact that she missed Paul. " Anyway, tell me about Washington. Was it like you hoped it would be?"

So Ashley ended up telling him the whole experience, some sleepless nights she pulled with the architect she was working with, the way the people she worked with taught her every single detail without getting annoyed. 

Paul was glad that she had a good time but he wondered what did this meant for them, in the future. They were starting their last year in high school and he never really thought about higher education but Ashley made up her mind. If she wanted he'd leave the pack and go with her to the ends of the world but even if he'd do it, just the thought of it had pressure on Paul's chest, leaving the threat behind when new leeches could be coming. There wasn't anything Paul would do for Ashley but it did make him think. 

On her way back from La Push, Ashley texted Edward, asking him if he needed a drive back home. He replied instantly, accepting the offer. After parking outside of the Swan house, Ashley knocked on the door. Chief Swan opened the door. " Ashley! You hungry?" he quickly asked. It had been several hours since she ate lunch at Emily's and her stomach agreed. Ashley nodded. " Great! Bells just cooked for us," 

A few minutes later, Ashley, Edward, Bella, and Charlie were seated in the table, eating Bella's pasta and meatballs. It was kind of entertaining to watch Edward 'eating', Ashley knew that it was small torture and she enjoyed it, for now. 

" So, tomorrow is the last year of high school. What're your plans for the future?" Charlie asked the Cullens. Bella quickly shot her head up, " Dad!" she said but Charlie shushed her as he fixed his eyes on Edward. " Edward, what are your plans? Or do you even have plans?" he asked him. Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat. " I do have plans, sir, I am actually thinking of majoring in English Literature," he said.

Charlie snorted as Ashley and Edward shared a look. Edward had several degrees including both Americana and English degrees. " What about you Ashley?" Bella asked her, trying to take the tension off of her boyfriend. Ashley shrugged. " Architecture, it's been my dream for a while now," she said. Charlie seemed more content with Ashley's idea rather than Edward's. 

After dinner and the awkward conversation between the males, it was time for the Cullen's to go. As they left the house and walked to the car Ashley tossed the keys to her uncle. " I'm tired, wanna drive?" she asked him, already sitting to the front seat. Edward rolled his eyes as he got the driver's seat. " I wonder why you're tired," he said sarcastically, "The drive from La Push must be exhausting," he continued and Ashley hit his arm.

" Look, I know you are mad at me right now, and you might even hate me, for telling and for today, but I only want what's best for you, I don't trust them and I don't want you to get hurt, plus we'll probably leave again in a year, you better not get too attached," Edward said. Ashley sighed. " You know I don't hate you," she started, " Mad? Yes. Disappointed? Hell yes. You were my secret keeper and you told everyone. Even before I found out that he was, well, a wolf, I knew the future was going to be a bumpy ride and now it's even more complicated. You guys don't like them and they don't like you. But, I don't know, he doesn't feel temporary, you know? It's just like you and Bella. Does being with her seems easy? Against all odds, no, but will you stay with her? Yes. It's like that," Ashley said.

Edward sighed. " But Bella is my mate," he said but Ashley shushed him. " And I am his imprint," she argued. " Look, I don't know what the future holds, what will happen, but I intend to make the most of 'now', rather than thinking of the future and making myself sad, I suggest you do the same, no harm will come to me from them," Ashley said and then opened some music to end the conversation. And Edward was driving, which meant that they reached the house long before the song finished. 

Three days into the first week of school things had seemed calmer. Edward had backed off from Ashley and was rather spending time with his girlfriend. Alice had informed the family that since Bella's birthday was in a few days she was going to throw her a birthday party in the house and everyone had to attend. 

Even though Ashley and her uncle had distance now she and Bella had grown rather close. They had a few classes together and given how she was the only other human who knew the secret, it was easy to communicate. Plus, Chief Swan liked Ashley and wanted Bella to get closer to her. 

The two girls agreed on going for a coffee and just talk comfortably. Since Bella had some questions they decided to go to the Swan house. Edward was glad that she was making the effort to get to know Bella rather than her mom and he talked to Ashley's parents. As the two drive to the house, they built their friendship on their mutual music taste.

" So, ask away," Ashley said as she got the cup Bella handed her. She sighed and took a sip out of her coffee. " You've been with them for years, has it ever become dangerous?" Bella asked Ashley. She laid back on her chair. " Well, everyone, especially mom and dad were very careful while I grew up to not have any accidents. Except for Uncle Jasp, everyone else seems to control their needs just fine, although I have to give him some credit, he really has come a long way. Plus, they're all attending school, covered by humans all the time, and you know, accidents do tend to happen where hormonal teenagers hang out so, I don't think it'll ever become dangerous," Ashley responded. Bella softly nodded. 

" How did you end up with them? You don't have to answer, I just wanted to ask," Bella asked again. Ashley took a deep breath. " Well, my biological parents and I were in a car accident, when I was a baby, just a few months old. My mom and dad happened to be feeding nearby and they caught the smell. They came to check it out, to see if there were any survivors. My parents didn't make it but somehow I was fine. They called for help immediately. Apparently, I had no other living relatives that could take care of me and I would be put into the system. As they say, my mom and dad had fallen in love with me the first time they looked at me and they couldn't bear to give me to the system. After asking the family and getting the majority vote I was adopted by my grandparents to keep the cover story but Rosalie and Emmett are my real parents," Ashley said, it was the first time she told the full story to someone. Bella grabbed Ashley's hand to comfort her, seeing how it couldn't be easy and Ashley softly smiled in response.

Shortly after the girls finished their coffee Charlie Swan entered the house. " Bells, and, oh Ashley, that's a nice surprise, how are you girls?" he quickly asked them. They smiled. " We're just fine Mr.Swan," Ashley replied. Charlie smiled. " I'm sorry I can't stay for too long, I just got a call and I need to go back, Ashley are you staying? I hate to leave Bells just by herself in the house," he said as he quickly went upstairs to his room. 

" You don't have to stay over, I'm sure Edward would like to keep me company," Bella whispered to her. Ashley shrugged. " I don't know, I kinda like the company, plus, aren't you a little bit bored spending that much time with him? Let's have a girls night," Ashley offered. Bella smiled at her. " Sure, that sounds like fun," 

Charlie hurried back to the kitchen, where the girls were seated, as he expected an answer. " I'll have to ask my parents but," Ashley started but Charlie cut him off. " How about I give a call to Dr.Cullen on my way?" 

Charlie's work has been very busy lately and he was rarely home. He really hated leaving Bella alone in the house. Ever since she asked him to move to his house he had hoped to spend more time with her daughter, despite the past years they were apart. He wasn't a good husband but he wanted a be good dad. Unfortunately, he had work and he couldn't blow it off. Making sure her daughter wasn't alone was the least he could do.

The girls ate some of the food Bella cooked earlier and then headed to the living room. " Can you tell me a bit about Edward? How he was before we met?" Bella asked her. Ashley shrugged. " Well, growing up he was the closest friend I had. Since everyone but him was a couple he usually stayed behind when everyone went hunting. He liked to babysit me and we were very close. We always teased each other. He taught me how to play the piano. He was fun when we were together but I could see how, uhm, lonely he felt in the other times. He was kind of filling his loneliness by being with me and I was happy for being some kind remorse for him," Ashley said. 

" You're talking in the past tense, has something happened between you and him?" Bella asked her again. Ashley bit her lip and nodded. " Well, he has spilled a secret of mine, about Paul, to my parents. My dad wasn't happy at all, that's also one of the reasons why I was gone all summer, and he also didn't show up at the airport when I came back," Ashley said. Bella looked down. " I'm sorry, we were together," she said but Ashley shushed her. " He made the choice, anyway, I'm sure we'll eventually fix it but right now I'm mad at him, especially after what he pulled on Sunday," 

" Hence why you dropped him here?" Bella asked with a grin. Ashley chuckled with a nod. " Yeah, I was going to go see Paul and mom were dealing with dad but Eddy boy decided to get in my way, so I took a little revenge from him," Ashley said and the girls giggled. " Your family, they don't like the people from La Push or something?" Bella asked her. Ashley shrugged, " Why do you ask?" 

" I don't know, last year I asked Edward to come with me and my friends to the beach but he refused and now seeing how they are treating you about Paul, it bugged me," Bella said honestly. She remembered how Ashley's family got during their project last year. 

Ashley knew that she couldn't tell Bella of the treaty or the pack. Her family also stated that they wouldn't tell anyone they were the pack and the pack told her she only got to know because she was an imprintee. So that left Ashley to lie. 

" I honestly have no idea, it's just one of their secrets I guess, they don't tell me anything, I'm the baby, you see," Ashley said and Bella nodded. 

The two spent the rest of the night talking about various things like normal teenage girls until they eventually went to sleep.


	12. Eleven

After a few days, it was finally Bella's birthday. The thirteenth of September. Ashley and her mom had driven out to Port Angeles to get her a gift. Rosalie wasn't happy about Bella nor throwing her a birthday party but even she knew that once Alice had set something in her mind, it happened. 

As soon as Ashley spotted Bella in the parking spot of the school next to Edward she quickly went over and gave her a hug. " Happy birthday!" Ashley exclaimed. Bella smiled uncomfortably and thanked her, but before they could talk any further, the three of them spotted Jacob. 

He was there to wish Bella a happy birthday as well. Ashley crossed her arms and hit Edward with her shoulder. " Jealous are we?" She teased him. Edward rolled his eyes at her. " You'd think that, wouldn't you?" After that and a hand wave to Ashley, Jacob left.

The rest of the day went uneventful as it would. When Bella and Ashley got together in their last hour, Bella opened up to Ashley. She was sad that she was turning eighteen and Edward was staying seventeen. " Ugh, you know that he's actually older? Much older than that," Ashley commented slowly. She didn't want anyone else hearing this. Bella shrugged. " No, I know, I know, it's just that, uhm, he'll be looking like seventeen while I keep looking older, unless," she said and then stopped. " Unless?" Ashley asked Bella. 

Bella bit her lip and then looked at Ashley. She was unsure of how she would react. " Unless he turns me," she finally said. Ashley furrowed her brows. " You mean, becoming like them?" She asked back. Bella nodded and Ashley sighed loudly. " Haven't you ever thought about it before? I mean, they're your family, unless you turn too you'll eventually die and they'll keep living, without you," Bella said.

Ashley breathed out in frustration. In truth, she never actually thought about the future. She always liked to live in the present. " No, I didn't think about it, and are you sure about it? Like really? As far as I know, it's the most painful thing they went through, and it's not even a guarantee that you'll succeed, there's a high chance you might end up dead," Ashley quickly said. 

The bell rang and notified the students that the school was over for the day. Ashley got up. " Just don't think about it too much until you are very sure about it. The thing you are afraid of, it's not until for ten or fifteen years. Just try to enjoy 'now'. I'll see you tonight at the house," she said and quickly left. 

" Auntie, this looks amazing but I'm not sure it's really Bella," Ashley said as she looked over to the room where Alice had been preparing the decorations. " Well, I'm sure she'll like it," Esme said with a smile on her face. " Grandma, that's an amazing dress!" Ashley said after seeing her grandma. Esme smiled and hugged her as a thank you. 

" Now that everything's ready, and they should be on their way, Ashley! Go get ready!" Alice exclaimed and started to drag her niece to her bedroom. Ashley chuckled. " Alright, I'll be ready before they get here," she said. 

To be honest, she wasn't done by the time they came because even though Bella's truck was old and rusty it was still Edward who was driving and he did not drive slow. Ashley was almost done with her make-up when her door was knocked. " Auntie, I swear I'm ready!" Ashley said as she put on her lipstick. She heard a chuckle and then her door opening. It was Edward. 

" I have a gift for you," Edward said. Ashley furrowed her brows. " You got it wrong, Bella's the one having her party, not me," she said and Edward chuckled. " I know, obviously, it's just that we have been distanced ever since the beginning of summer and I thought I should make it up to you," he said. Ashley smiled. " Well, about damn time Eddy boy," she replied. 

Edward handed her a box. Ashley opened it and it was an old book. " I've been tracking this down for a while now, of course, Carlisle has helped a lot but this is the journal of Leonardo da Vinci. I thought he could give some inspiration to you on your way to becoming a great architect," he said. Ashley couldn't help but smile. She put the journal on her desk and quickly gave her uncle a hug. " Thank you! This is amazing, I don't even know how you guys found it," she said and Edward chuckled again. " I hope this is at least a beginning for you to forgive me," 

After that, the two went to the living room where the party was being held. Ashley once again hugged Bella. Emmett came by Edward's side and gave him a grin. " Dating an older woman? Hot," he said and smirked. Edward rolled his eyes and Ashley gasped at his dad. " Dad! Gross!" she commented.

Quickly following that Alice came by Rosalie and handed her a gift which she handed to Bella. " Alice and Ashley picked it up," Rosalie said with a frown as Alice dragged Edward to Bella's side to take their picture together. Ashley could see how uncomfortable Bella was feeling and she quickly went by her Aunt's side and grabbed the machine. " Auntie, I think I'll handle this better, " she said and Bella gave her a silent thanks.

Alice then handed a box to Bella saying that it was from Emmett. Bella shook the box and it sounded empty. " Already installed it into your truck," Emmett said with a grin, " Finally a decent sound system for that piece of crap-" he started but Bella caught him off. " Hey don't hate the truck," she responded and a few people including Ashley laughed.

" Yeah dad, show some respect, the truck might be older than you," Ashley said as she went over to her parents' side and everyone laughed. " Thanks for the support Ashley," Bella said with a funny remark and she smiled back. Meanwhile, Alice handed Bella another box saying it was from Carlisle and Esme.

As Ashley's grandparents explained the gift Bella was working on opening it. Then she hissed and put her finger up. " Papercut," she said looking at Edward but the whole mood in the room had just changed completely. Ashley looked over to her Uncle Jasper like Edward did and she saw Jasper starting to move towards Bella.

Before she could comprehend Ashley heard the loud noise from the opposite of the room and when she looked she saw Bella thrown against the mirror. Edward had run off towards Jasper to stop him and throw him back. He crashed into the piano but got right up. Carlisle and Emmett tried to sustain him and hold him. They held off to his arms right when Alice went by his side to try to calm him down. 

" It's just a little, blood," Alice said slowly as she turned around to see Bella. Because of Edward's push, her arm was covered in blood. Ashley held her breath in with what was happening. " Get Jasper out of here," Carlisle said then quickly went by Bella's side to check her wound.

Soon everyone left. Rosalie held her daughter's hand and dragged her outside. " Is Uncle Jasp okay, mom? I've never seen him like that," Ashley said, her voice trembling. Rosalie hugged her daughter once she knew they were safely distanced from Jasper. " He'll be okay baby, you know it's harder for him, and Edward was right, there is something with Bella's blood, it's not like the other humans, it's harder to resist, but he'll pull through," Rosalie said to her daughter.

" I am going to go check on him, why don't you go help your grandpa?" Rosalie said. Ashley nodded. Except for her grandpa, no one would be able to help him. Even though they all controlled their thirsts Carlisle was a doctor and he dealt with it on a daily basis. 

She slowly made her way into her grandpa's study where she heard the noises of Carlisle and Bella. She softly knocked on the door. " Hey, is there anything I can help with?" she asked her grandpa. Carlisle half turned and nodded. " Sure, honey, come sit next to me and give me the equipments when I ask you to," he said. Ashley nodded again and did as she was told.

" I'm sorry guys, it's my fault," Bella said but Carlisle shook his head and stopped her. " Don't Bella, it was an accident. If anything it's my fault to wrap it too firm. I'm sure Jasper is going to apologize when he calms himself," he said and Ashley offered Bella a smile. " Accidents happen, I'm sure it'll pass," she said.

After stitching, Bella was done no one in the house was in the mood for partying, besides it was getting late and Bella needed to go back home. Edward asked Ashley to come with him, she didn't know why but she accepted. She was dried out from what had happened tonight and she still hadn't seen Jasper and she was worried for him. 

During the whole thing and the aftermath, she didn't even realize Edward taking her phone. 

The drive back to Bella's house was silent. After Edward pulled outside of the Swan house they all got out of the car. Ashley hadn't thought of how they would get back, this was one of her last worries. " I'm sorry, for putting you in danger, it's my fault," Edward slowly said to Bella. Ashley walked a bit further from them to give them privacy. 

Bella shook her head. " No, it's okay, I mean, it was an accident, it won't happen again," she said and then bit her lip. " I think I'm ready for my birthday present from you," she whispered and Edward shook his head. Ashley breathed out in frustration. 

She was a bit mad about Bella thinking of getting a kiss right now when there were more important matters at hand but she was also confused to why Edward seemed like he was holding back. He should just give her the damn kiss she wanted so they could go back and she could make sure her uncle was okay. 

" Ashley Cullen! You stay the hell away from this," Edward suddenly exclaimed turning towards her niece. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. First off, he had never called her by her full name. Second, she always thought these things, why the hell did he burst out of all a sudden?

" Cullen? You're a Cullen?" Ashley heard someone she never expected to hear. 

When she turned around she came face-to-face with an angry Paul. " Paul, I-," she started but Paul interrupted her. " You were lying the whole time? You were with them?" Paul exclaimed, pointing at Edward and Ashley felt her eyes watering and the color draining from her face. Suddenly Paul had turned around and started to walk towards the forest. Ashley followed him without hesitation. 

" Is that why you texted me to meet here? So you could rub it in my face? " Paul said. " What? Paul, I didn't text you, something has happened tonight and I wasn't on my phone for several hours, I didn't tell you to come here, baby, please, listen to me," Ashley tried to plead but Paul shook his head. 

" I can't believe this, I can't believe you lied to me, you knew all this time, you, you, ugh," he hissed and turned around. Ashley took a step towards him but Paul stopped him. " Stop, don't come closer, I don't want to hurt you," he said as he started to breathe out heavily. 

Ashley felt tears running down her face. " Paul, I'm sorry," she said with a sob. Paul had turned to her one last time before he quickly shook his head and then started to run in the opposite direction. Ashley saw him phase into his wolf and then fell to her knees. 

She soon felt the cold hands around her body and being lifted up. " Has Bella, has she seen, it?" Ashley managed to ask between her sobs. Edward shook his head and Ashley took a deep breath. Then she felt the sudden movement and the wind that hit her face. As a reflex, she had closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were back in their house. 

Edward had let go of Ashley and because of the speed, Ashley felt dizzy. She couldn't comprehend what just happened. Who texted Paul? The last time she used her phone was at the beginning of the party when she was taking pictures of her parents. Then the realization hit her. She turned around to face Edward. 

" It was you! You texted him!" She shouted. Edward didn't look at her and he had the same aching face he had for the last hour. " It had to be done," he said but Ashley felt new tears running down her face as she stepped toward Edward and started to hit him. She knew it wasn't affecting him but he deserved it. " How could you? You're an asshole! I hate you!" 

With all the noise everyone had quickly come by Edward and Ashley. Even though they heard the voices all of them were shocked to see Ashley in that state. Rosalie and Emmett quickly went by their daughter's side. Rosalie pulled her daughter into a hug as Emmett pushed Edward aside. " What the fuck have you done Edward?" he asked him. 

Ashley was now sobbing uncomfortably in her mom's arms. " Mom, it hurts, it hurts so much!" she managed to say. Rosalie looked over to her husband and then to Carlisle. " We should put her to bed, I can give something to let her sleep," he murmured and Rosalie nodded. Ashley didn't even hear the conversation, she had lost all her senses and the only thing she could feel was the heavy pressure on her chest. 

Ashley woke up in the car. She felt dried out and horrible but a sense of calmness washed over her. When she turned she saw that she was alone in the car with her Uncle Jasper. " Good morning," he slowly said. " How, uhm, how are you?" Ashley asked, her voice came out cracked. Jasper nodded. " I'm better, what about you?" he asked her. Ashley shrugged. " I don't want to talk about it if it's okay Uncle Jasp," she said and felt her eyes water once again at the thought. Just as she did another wave of calmness washed over her.

Normally she didn't like her uncle using his powers on her to manipulate her out of a situation but right now she knew if not for her uncle she'd be a crying mess all over again. " Why are we in the car?" Ashley asked again. Jasper looked at his niece, he knew she'd hate the answer. " We're moving away. After we put you to bed last night we talked, people have been suspicious of Carlisle not getting older-" Ashley interrupted him. " Don't bullshit with me Uncle Jasp," she said sternly. 

" Edward thought that being in Bella's life was dangerous for her so he decided and then convinced the family to leave, it was put to a vote and everything but Edward stayed persistent. Your mom wanted to stay, for your sake but as you can see," he said and gestured the road. Ashley breathed out in frustration. It all made sense now. Edward had decided last night, right after the accident and he had texted Paul because he knew with Ashley being with Paul he'd never be able to convince the family to leave. So he made sure Paul found out and it'd put a distance between them. 

Ashley wasn't even sure if Paul ever wanted to see her again and now she didn't even know if she would have an opportunity to see him, ever again.

" Aren't you going to say anything?" Jasper asked his niece after a while. Ashley shook her head. " There's nothing I can say, I feel, empty. Edward has screwed up and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive him for this," she said and then a sob escaped her mouth. " I didn't even get to tell him that I loved him back Uncle Jasp, and I might never get to, ever again, tell me, what can I say after this?" She exclaimed and pulled her legs to her body and buried her face there.

Jasper sighed loudly and tried to calm Ashley down another time because he didn't know what else to do.

She was right, Edward had screwed up badly, so badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo, the truth came out finally. I normally don't hate Edward but he was being kind of a selfish prick in here. What are your thoughts????


	13. Twelve

After leaving Forks the Cullens first went to Alaska to their cousins. Edward was supposed to meet them there and the family would decide where they would go next. However, Edward never showed up and when he finally called he had said that he wanted to be alone. 

The Cullens stayed with the Denali's for a few weeks before eventually moving to Ithaca, New York. Carlisle had found a job in a health center, working night shifts. Jasper enrolled in the philosophy major and Ashley enrolled at the local high school. Edward's departure had shattered the family. Rosalie, Emmett, and Ashley were living on their own. Alice and Jasper rented an apartment close to the campus. They still kept in touch but the family wasn't the same.

Especially Ashley wasn't the same. She seemed like a robot for the past 5 months. She woke up, went to school, came home, did her work and went to sleep. The life in her seemed to be drained out. The rest of the family couldn't remember the countless times they offered to do something Ashley would love to do on normal terms. 

During the past 5 months, Edward called them a month to briefly inform that he was still alive. He wouldn't tell them about his whereabouts to avoid seeing him. He always asked about Ashley, her condition, and the answer he got every time broke his heart and added to his guilt. 

The last 5 months hadn't been easy on Paul as well. The pack had new members now. Quil Ateara, Leah and Seth Clearwater and Jacob Black. Leah was the first female shifter in their tribe and it did set up small chaos. A cold one had come to their territory, not one of the Cullens, and it did raise questions about new ones. There was this human, Bella Swan, who caused too much trouble. Not only she found out about the pack, through the stupidity of her and Jacob, but Paul also found out that she was the reason Ashley left. 

At first, Paul was angry. At her imprintee. How could she lie to him? Paul had opened up to her and she lied for the whole time they were together. Paul didn't shift back until two weeks later. The first thing he had done when he shifted back was to go to Emily's house. Sam and the others decided to leave him alone until he could put his mind back together. When he went back only Emily was there and she talked to him. She had said she understood why he felt betrayed but asked him to understand Ashley's reasons for not telling him. She was raised by them, they were her family and the way the pack talked about her family might have scared her off from telling Paul. And most importantly, she wasn't like them, she was only human and very hurt by what happened.

So Paul decided to talk to her. He didn't even think of how was Ashley the past week and now that Emily had pointed it out, he felt the need to be there for her, no matter how he felt. The bond urged him to be there for his imprintee, whatever she needed him to be.

But when Paul tried to contact Ashley he didn't get an answer. Her phone number was no longer used, all of her social media accounts were deleted. Paul tried calling her school, to find out what happened but all he found out was that they moved away. Then Sam decided to tell him that the Cullens, they knew their identity all along, left the town, probably not to come back for another seventy years. 

Paul was crashed. The last conversation he had with her wasn't anything nice and that was the last of it. Plus, new problems kept popping up in his life and he wasn't handling it well. He had become even more of a hot-head than he had been before Ashley. 

When someone phased for the first time, to keep the people safe Sam ordered everyone to cut ties with their friends and family. It was tough but it kept people safe. Only the imprintees and the tribe elders got to know the truth. But when Jacob Black failed at cutting his ties to Bella things took a twist. She had faced Sam, Paul, Embry, and Jared. She accused them of doing something to her friend and when she didn't get her answers she slapped Paul.

At that point, Paul was already a ticking time bomb. And through Jacob, he learned the reason why Ashley left and when the reason slapped her, he couldn't control himself and phased in front of the girl. He and Jacob fought a little while, Jared and Embry brought Bella back to Emily's house. 

" Is there a reason why Paul seems to hate me?" Bella asked the guys on the way over. Ever since last year when Bella had met Paul on that diner about her and Ashley's project Paul had seemed distant to her. She didn't really care since she didn't know him personally but it kind of bugged her. Especially the way he treated her that day when she was asking questions and he was shouting at her and laughing. 

" How couldn't he? You're the reason his imprint left town," Embry said coldly as they drove to Emily's house. Everyone in the pack knew what Paul had been going through. They could hear each other's thoughts while they were in their wolf form and they all felt the pain Paul was feeling. Bella didn't know what imprinting was but she knew that Paul had been seeing Ashley and she knew by heart that the Cullens left and it was all due to her birthday so Bella put two and two together and finally had her answer on why Paul and most of the pack except for Jacob disliked her. 

When Ashley was invited to a birthday party her parents were beyond excited. They thought she hadn't talked to anyone at school but given that she was invited, that meant that she had friends. They practically pressured her to go so that she could have some fun. Ashley wasn't in the mood for a party, especially after the last birthday party she went to, however seeing how happy her parents became upon it and knowing how miserable they had been because of her, she decided to go. 

The truth is Ashley had several friends in her new school. In this school doing at least one extracurricular activity was required and the only clubs were they had an opening were the chess club, the book club and however it may be the cheerleading squad. Ashley didn't like chess, she didn't like being tasked to read a book so that left her with the squad. She was in shape, she had a nice face and she had some moves. After a spot in the squad, she became somewhat of a popular girl in the school even if she didn't want to.

There were several guys who flirted with her on a regular basis, she had her own friend group and she was constantly being invited to things. She always turned them down politely but her group of friends really pressured her to come and now that her parents had also done it, she decided to go. Plus, maybe a little bit of fun would even help her get over Paul.

Rosalie and Emmett weren't stupid, they knew that the parties people Ashley's age threw had alcohol. They didn't want her driving back under the influence so they dropped her off and asked her to give them a call when she was done.

Ashley felt a bit weird walking up to the house. It had been a while since she just hung out with people her age without stressing over anything. She was greeted immediately when she entered the house. The party was crowded, there were a lot of people from school. It didn't take her a lot of time to find her friends. 

For the first couple of hours, she danced and drank with her friends. She really was having fun until Brad, someone on the basketball team who wouldn't stop flirting with Ashley ever since she made the team, approached her. He seemed like a good guy, he was polite, into his school work and he had lots of friends. Not to mention he was also good-looking. But, he wasn't Paul. 

As Brad was talking to Ashley and drinking his beer someone behind them lost their balance and bumped into Brad, causing him to spill his drink over Ashley. " Oh god!" Ashley exclaimed as Brad turned around and pushed the guy who bumped to him. " I'm sorry, let me help you," Brad offered and then took Ashley's hand, dragging her to where she assumed was the bathroom. 

It took about 10 mins to get the beer completely out of the shirt and then cooling it. Ashley was hanging onto her jacket because she didn't feel comfortable standing in her bra in front of Brad. " The night has turned to shit," Ashley mumbled under her breath. Brad shook his head. " Why? Even though the spilling part was very shitty I'm glad I got to spend some time with you," he replied. Ashley tried to smile as she looked at her shirt, trying to avoid his gaze. 

She just didn't feel ready. To open herself up to someone new, someone other than Paul. 

" Well, I'm glad at least someone had fun," Ashley replied, trying to make conversation. She felt bad for Brad to keep trying to flirt with her, even if she didn't return it. Brad chuckled. " I'm sure I can make someone else's night fun too," he said as he took a step towards Ashley. 

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows as she watched him. " Brad, I," she started but Brad interrupted her. " Just trust me, it won't be bad," he whispered as he reached forward and pressed his lips to hers. Ashley was shocked. She didn't react for a few seconds. It felt wrong to her, someone other than Paul holding her, kissing her. 

When she was out of the initial shock she quickly pushed Brad away. " Get out! Get out!" She shouted. Brad didn't expect that reaction from Ashley and he quickly left the bathroom in anger. Ashley took a deep breath as she locked the door. She put on her shirt and then her jacket, wanting to get out of that house as soon as possible. 

Without listening to her friends calling for her Ashley quickly left the house. It was middle of the night, a bit chilly and Ashley wanted to cry. She felt like she had betrayed Paul, even though she wasn't the one who initiated the kiss. She sat on the sidewalk, taking deep breaths and calming herself.

Silent tears were falling to her cheeks as Ashley held out her phone, looking at Paul's contact information. She wanted to talk to him. She knew she shouldn't, but she so wanted to. He might not even pick it up, he might be on patrol or just because it would be an unsaved number. Ashley had to change her phone number after all. 

As a million thoughts roamed her mind Ashley found herself dialing his number. 

Just when Ashley was going to give up and end the call he opened the phone. " Hello," he said. Ashley held her breath as she closed her eyes. She was on the phone with him. " Hello, who is this? Why are you calling me?" Paul said again. Ashley couldn't contain her feelings, hearing his voice was too much. A sob escaped her mouth. 

" Ashley?" Paul asked, shock in his voice. " Paul," Ashley managed to say, " I'm sorry, for everything," she continued. " You didn't deserve it, it's my fault, I'm sorry, so sorry," she said. Another sob escaped and Ashley took a deep breath. It was then what she was doing sank in. She shouldn't be communicating him, maybe he had already moved on, she was just making it harder. " I'm sorry," she whispered again before ending the call. 

Then she realized she couldn't go home like this. Her parents would understand something was up and she didn't want her father killing or at least seriously harming Brad. And she also didn't want to tell anyone of the phone call to Paul. 

So she called her uncle and aunt. As she expected they opened it in the first ring. " Hey honey, how's the party?" Alice asked her niece through the speaker. Ashley took a deep breath. " Okay, I think. I was wondering if you guys could pick me up, I don't feel too well and your house is closer to where I am," she said. " Of course kiddo, we'll be right there, " Jasper said and then ended the call. 

Just like they said Alice and Jasper were in front of the party house fifteen minutes later. They had called Rosalie and Emmett on the way to inform them and to say that Ashley was going to spend the night at their place. Ashley had tried to clean her face but nothing would get past her aunt, but she hoped it would. After getting in the car and driving in silence for about three minutes Alice turned to her niece. " You wanna talk about it? Promise we won't spoil it to your parents," she said. Ashley took a deep breath. 

" Well, there's this boy at school, he had been flirting with me for a while now and tonight he kissed me, I didn't want him to so I pushed him away. Every time he tried to flirt I always shut him down, I don't feel ready for something like that since, well, you know and I don't know, him trying to kiss me just became too much," Ashley said, playing with her fingers and not being able to look at her aunt.

Even though she wasn't looking she felt the atmosphere in the car change. " Ashley, if you want I can kick his ass, just say the word," Alice said and got glares from both her husband and niece. " Auntie, if I wanted that I'd go to my dad, or even better, my mom," she replied. " What would you like us to do then kiddo?" Jasper said. 

After they got home Alice gave Ashley some comfortable clothes while Jasper made some hot chocolate. They always kept some around for Ashley since she loved drinking it ever since she was six and she and Edward made some for her school sale.

" I was thinking that we could watch your vampire show, I'm sure there's still some drama there," Jasper said, trying to cheer up Ashley. " I don't know, I haven't watched it for a while," she said. Alice shrugged. " Well that's why Netflix exists darling, if you're up for it, let's have a marathon," she suggested. 

After tonight Ashley didn't feel like sleeping, every time she closed her eyes she pictured Brad kissing her and her phone talk with Paul. So she agreed. Plus, some fictional drama could eventually help her to get over the drama of the day. The three ended up watching several episodes until 5 AM until Ashley couldn't keep her eyes open. 

Ashley woke up late the next day. Her body and mind needed sleep. She did have school but she was sure her parents didn't mind her missing the school for a day. After she washed her face and did the necessary things to do in the bathroom she went to the living room where she found Alice and Jasper trying to cook for her. Since they didn't normally cook their kitchen was a part of the living room. 

" Sorry if it's not good as you grandma's kiddo," Jasper said after giving her a toast they did. " It's been a while since we both cooked," Alice said with a smile. Ashley gave them a smile as she took a bite. " Well, it's good," she said. It wasn't a lie. For someone who hadn't cooked for years, it was tasty. 

As Alice was filling a glass of milk for Ashley she froze and dropped the glass. Jasper and Ashley turned to her. " Is she having a vision?" Ashley asked her uncle. Jasper nodded. Then Alice closed and opened her eyes. " What is it?" Jasper asked Alice.

" It's bad, really bad," Alice started, " It's Bella, and I think she's committing suicide,"


	14. Thirteen

After Alice's vision, Ashley and Alice decided to go back to Forks to check on her. Mostly it was Alice going and Ashley adding herself to the plan. Bella was her friend too and if anything she might get to see Paul. 

Five minutes later they were in Alice's car, driving to the airport. Even though they drove fast it wouldn't be fast enough, it would take about a day and a half. Alice could just run there but Ashley was coming with her too and she couldn't take Alice's speed. 

Jasper stopped the car in front of the domestic flight's gate. " Are you sure you don't want me to come?" He asked his wife. Alice nodded. " Yes, you inform the family," Alice said and Jasper sighed. " And keep the waters calm," he added and Alice smiled. They briefly shared a kiss before the girls got out of the car and hurried inside. 

Luckily there was a flight to Seattle in thirty minutes and after getting their tickets the girls boarded the plane. Ashley's heart was beating really fast, imagining the scenarios of what might have happened to Bella. 

" Auntie, didn't you see something else?" Ashley asked her aunt. Alice shook her head. " No honey, as I said, I just saw her jumping from a cliff and diving into the water, nothing else afterward," she replied and Ashley sighed. What was Bella going through to do something like that? She was only eighteen, even though Edward broke up with her it shouldn't have to make her do what she did.

For the rest of the flight Ashley decided to sleep or else she would have her brain explode from thinking of all the possible outcomes.

When they landed Alice dragged Ashley to the parking lot. " Auntie, what are we doing here?" Ashley asked her. Alice shrugged as she looked around. " Something illegal," she murmured as she spotted a sports car and started to walk toward it. It wasn't hard for Alice to basically hijack it. 

" I can't believe we just stole this," Ashley said as Alice speed up and got on the highway. Alice shrugged. " We didn't steal it, just borrowed it, plus we don't have time to rent one, it takes a bit of time, and right now, time is the only thing we don't have," Alice replied. 

About an hour later they entered Forks. This was one of the times where Ashley was actually happy with her family's fast-driving enthusiasm. It was needed. 

Alice parked the car in front of the house and the two girls got in. " It's empty, she's not here," Alice said, informing her niece. Ashley nodded as she sat down in the living room. " I hope she's okay," Ashley mumbled under her breath.

Alice and Ashley sat in the living room for about twenty minutes before Bella came back. Alice used her speed to go to the door. Bella jumped upon seeing her. " Alice?" Bella exclaimed and hugged her. Ashley quickly went by the door and upon seeing her Bella hugged her too. " Oh my god, Ashley!" 

After the hugs and the initial shock of Bella, Alice took a deep breath. " Would you like to explain to us how you are alive?" She exclaimed. Bella furrowed her eyebrows as she eyed the two Cullens. " What?" She asked them. " Aunt Alice saw a vision of you, you jumped off a cliff," Ashley said. " Why in the hell would you try to kill yourself, Bella? Huh? What about Charlie?" Alice interjected. 

" I didn't try to kill myself," Bella said sternly. " I was cliff-jumping, It was fun, it's a sport," she continued and Ashley took a deep breath. " Oh," she said, " Didn't know you did that," Ashley continued and Bella shrugged. " I've recently started doing it," she mumbled. " Still, it doesn't make up for doing it alone, something could've happened, it's a dangerous sport," Ashley said. She remembered her day with the pack cliff-jumping. If it wasn't for Paul being there she probably wouldn't have done it. 

" I have never met anyone more prone to life-threatening idiocy," Alice exclaimed once the girls were seated on the sofa. " Hey, it's not that bad, I've done it too," Ashley mumbled and Alice gave her a glare that said ' we'll talk about this later'. " Does, uhm, he know?" Bella whispered. Alice shook her head. " No, Jasper and Ashley were with me when I had the vision. Ashley insisted on coming to check on you and Jasper stayed to inform and calm everyone," Alice said. " He's not with us, he calls every month or so, he said he wanted to be alone," Ashley added and Bella sighed.

Then Alice frowned. " Oh god, Bella, what is this god-awful wet dog smell?" she said. Ashley started to smell the air for the so-called smell but there was nothing. " Oh, uhm, it could be me, or like, uhm, Jacob," Bella said. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " Uh, why would it be Jacob?" Ashley asked but before Bella answered and said that he was some kind of a werewolf both Alice and Ashley had figured it out. It had been a while since Alice smelled them, on Ashley, and now she never thought of Bella hanging out with werewolves.

" Ugh, Bella! Werewolves are not good company to keep!" Alice exclaimed as she did give Ashley a small look. Then another voice entered their conversation. " Speak for yourself," It was a familiar voice and when the Cullens turned around they saw Jacob. But he looked different than he did before. His hair was cut and he seemed more muscular.

Then the three except for Ashley got to talking, more of a quarrel, about Bella's safety. Jacob, being a wolf didn't trust Alice against hurting Bella. Alice stated that she would never harm Bella, that they were friends. Ashley just watched them as they got angry and Bella had to step between that. The whole thing was a bit dramatic. 

" Guys, I think both of you are overreacting, Jacob and Bella are childhood friends and my aunt would never hurt Bella, and certainly not in the way you would think Jacob," Ashley said, trying to end it. Jacob rolled his eyes at her while Alice puffed. Then they heard the phone ringing. " I'll take it," Jacob said angrily as he turned around. 

The girls followed him as he answered the phone. " Swan house?" He opened the phone. He gave Bella a look before answering. " No, he's not here, he's preparing the funeral," he said as he closed the phone. Alice grabbed Ashley's hand as she gasped. She was having another vision. " Who was that?" Bella asked him. Jacob took a deep breath. " Someone who's always in my way," he practically hissed. " Jacob, who was that?" Bella asked once again, more sternly this time.

" Bella, it's Edward, he thinks you're dead," Alice spoke up, glaring at Jacob. " Wait, what, how?" Bella asked again. Then she turned to Jacob. " Why Jacob? Why? Why didn't you just let me talk to him?"Bella shouted.

" Rosalie called him about my vision and when he called the mutt said he's arranging the funeral, he thinks it's your funeral and he is going to kill himself, he's gonna turn himself to the Volturi," Alice quickly said. Ashley gasped when she heard the part about Edward killing himself. " What? Auntie, we have got to stop him, he can't do that!" Ashley exclaimed. 

The next minutes passed by quickly as Alice and Bella hurried over to the car. Ashley wanted to come too, Edward was a bastard and he made a huge mistake but he was still her favorite uncle and best friend. But Alice rejected. She said that if she went with them the Volturi would know about her existence and she would be in danger. Ashley knew of the Volturi, her grandpa told her about it a little bit a couple of years ago when Ashley asked about the painting. Meanwhile, Jacob was trying to convince Bella not to go but she had set her mind. She was going to stop and save Edward. 

As Alice and Bella drove away Ashley took a deep breath as she turned to face Jacob. She was left here and had nothing to do, except to go and talk to Paul. And, she had no way of going there. " So, you made the pack too, huh?" Ashley asked him, trying to make some conversation before she asked him the question. Jacob nodded. " I thought you didn't believe in the tribe legends," Ashley continued and Jacob huffed. " Well, look at me now," he replied and Ashley rolled her eyes. " Anyways, can you give me a ride?" 

Since Jacob drove Bella's truck to her house he had no other way of transport than, well, himself. So they went inside the woods and he transformed. Normally he wouldn't do this for anyone else, maybe except for Bella, but Ashley was Paul's imprint. Jacob knew what he had been going through and even though they had their ups and downs in his friendship with Paul he thought that Paul deserved this. He couldn't just leave Ashley all by herself when he could have done something.

When they neared Paul's house Jacob shifted back and Ashley threw him his clothes back without peeking in. But just before he shifted back he had howled to notify Paul. Just as they were coming out of the woods to Paul's house, he was already outside, looking at them. " Jacob, what-- Oh my god, Ashley?" He said. Ashley saw Jacob nodding at Paul and then running back to the woods. 

" Ashley," Paul said. He couldn't believe that she was standing there, a couple of meters away from him. Suddenly Ashley started to run towards him, not caring about the things that had happened but the very fact that she had missed him. Paul welcomed her in open arms and tightly held her. He could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks into his shoulder. 

After their hug, Paul wiped the tears off of her face. " Let's go inside," he murmured and grabbed her hand. They went to his bedroom where Paul gave her a shirt. Ashley had been in the same clothes for a while. The only clothes of Paul's that would fit Ashley was his shirts. After changing into it Ashley sat down on the side of his bed.

" I guess there's a lot we have to talk about," she started and Paul nodded. " I'm sorry, for everything, my family moving here causing you to phase, me lying about my family. I didn't know how you would react and I was afraid of losing you, I didn't want to lose you," She said her voice becoming a whisper towards the end and she had started crying.

Paul immediately came near her, wiped her tears away. " Shh, it's okay baby, I forgive you," he said and Ashley looked at his eyes. " No, don't say that, don't forgive me because of the imprinting, because you feel the need to be there for me, I fucked up by lying to you," she said but Paul shook his head. " No Ashley, it's not because of the bond, Emily talked some sense into me, at first I was angry, very angry. I didn't shift back until two weeks later. But Emily talked to me. She helped me to see your reasons. They're, uh, your family and we weren't exactly discreet or nice towards them when we talked about it. You were scared. I get it, it couldn't have been easy," Paul said and Ashley nodded. " Exactly, and I'm sorry," Ashley said but Paul interrupted her. " Stop saying you're sorry, let's just put it behind us, baby, alright?" 

Ashley looked at Paul. He really seemed like he was understanding and he wanted to get behind that. So she nodded. " Okay, but, before that, there's one more thing I'm sorry about," she said as she looked down to take a deep breath and get her courage before looking up again, " I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to say that I love you before I left," Ashley whispered.

She could see the instant smile forming on Paul's face as she said the words. " Ashley Cullen, I love you," he said then reached forward, pressing his lips to hers. This time it felt right. To being kissed by Paul. He felt right. 

After their make-out session, they were laying on the bed, hugging and talking. Paul was telling her about the things that happened while she was gone. Ashley also briefly told him about the events that happened for the past five months. But she knew he was wanting to ask about the phone call. So, before he asked her she started to tell him everything that has happened since last night to this moment. 

As she expected Paul was furious when he had heard about Brad but calmed down after hearing the aftermath. Then when he heard the Cullen coming back he was alarmed just like Jacob was back at the house. Upon hearing she left with Bella to save Edward, he became frustrated. " I gotta tell the pack about this," he said. Ashley nodded. " I understand, but can you do it tomorrow? I want to be with you now," Ashley whispered and Paul nodded. Waiting a few hours couldn't hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo. I've kinda fast-forwarded the New Moon arc because I have more in store for the Eclipse arc, hope you enjoy :)


	15. Fourteen

Ashley had missed waking up covered by Paul embrace and warmness. Paul had kissed her forehead to wake her up. " I've gotta go meet the pack," he whispered and Ashley nodded. " Is it okay if I stay here?" She asked him. He knew that since Alice left there was nowhere she could go and that she was tired of the trip. " Of course, baby, I'll come back once I'm done," Paul whispered back. Ashley smiled as Paul gave her another kiss and she went to sleep.

She woke up a couple of hours later by Paul's soft kisses. " Welcome back," she mumbled as she turned around toward Paul, still her eyes closed. Paul chuckled and Ashley opened her eyes. The first thing she did was to check the time. It was around 12 PM, and from her experience, it was early. He didn't usually come back until afternoon. " You're early," she commented and Paul smirked. " Well, I had a pretty good reason to come back," he said then leaned in to give her a kiss.

" Sam let me go early because you're here also they want to see you. Sam's got some questions to ask you and Emily was over the moon when she received the news," Paul said after their kiss. Ashley nodded. " Alright, let me change back to my clothes," she said getting up from the bed. However, Paul had something else in his mind. " I didn't say right away," he said and grabbed Ashley's waist, pulling her back to bed. 

After spending some time in bed and eventually having breakfast the couple finally decided to go to Emily's house. They took Paul's truck since Ashley couldn't walk all that way and she didn't want to be a burden to Paul, to carry her. 

As they neared Emily's house Ashley couldn't help but feel a bit worried. After all, she had lied to the whole pack. Yes, she didn't spill their secret or the tribe legends but she did lie and she didn't know what kind of welcome she would get. Especially now that there were new members she didn't know. Paul mentioned them to her yesterday night. She knew Jacob briefly but the Clearwater's and Quil were complete strangers to her. 

" Baby, don't worry, you're a part of the pack, you always had been," Paul said, grabbing Ashley's hand. He knew she had doubts by the way she was breathing and sighing. Ashley looked at her. " I know but," she started but Paul cut her off. " No buts, nothing's changed, trust me," he said and kissed her hand. Ashley gave him a smile as they stopped in front of the house. 

Ashley took a deep breath as she entered the house. Paul was still holding her hand and he gave a soft squeeze to assure her that it would be fine. The house was a lot crowded than it used to be. That was the first thing Ashley noticed. " Ashley!" Emily exclaimed upon seeing her and quickly came over to give her a hug. Then Jared came over and gave her a hug, even lifting her up to the air for a while before putting her down. " Finally! This hot-head had been getting too annoying!" he exclaimed and Paul pushed Jared jokingly. Embry gave her a smile and Sam nodded at her. 

" Hello I'm Seth Clearwater, that's my sister Leah, we're new," a boy came over to Ashley and reached his hand forward for a shake. As Ashley shook his hand with a smile she couldn't believe how young the boy looked compared to the others. He was really young. 

After the introductions, everyone took a seat. " Ashley, I'm sure Paul has informed you of this but we have some questions," Sam said. Ashley nodded. " First of all, can you tell us who the red-haired lee--, uhm, cold one is?" he asked her. Ashley took a deep breath. She didn't know her personally but her parents mentioned her and her coven last year plus she came up last night when Jacob asked about her to Alice. " Victoria, her name's Victoria," Ashley started.

" Last year she and her coven came across my family and Bella. Since my family acted protective of Bella, James, the leader of their coven, wanted to hunt her down. He was something they called a tracker. When they found a victim for whatever reason, hunting them down, chasing them became a sick game to the tracker. And my family protecting Bella intrigued him. That's the reason Bella supposedly decided to leave the town last year, to get the tracker away from Chief Swan and other humans. He eventually caught Bella and my family killed him. Victoria was James's mate. You see vampires have mates, the people they're destined to be with, much similar to imprinting. She is probably heartbroken over her mate's death and that could be why she's been here. To get revenge," Ashley explained. 

" Maybe the cold one we killed was a part of the coven she mentioned," Jacob spoke up. " It explains why he was trying to kill Bella," he continued and Ashley gasped. " Someone was trying to kill Bella?" She asked and Sam nodded. " We took care of it," he said. " My parents told me that their coven was a small one, only three vampires. But my grandpa told me, Lauren, the third one decided to leave his coven and joining our cousins' coven, the Denali's. They're like my family, on animal diet and he wanted to try their lifestyle, it doesn't make sense for him to leave it," Ashley said. Paul turned to her. " It might not have been that easy, is there any way you can find it out?" he asked her and Ashley nodded, taking her phone out and calling her cousin Tanya, who was also the leader of their coven. 

The wolves stood quiet as Ashley chatted with Tanya. Except for Irina, all of the Denali's adored Ashley. Irina had a crush on Edward who didn't feel the same. Whenever the covens spent time together Ashley was Edward's escape from Irina and her desperate flirting. 

Tanya was glad to hear from Ashley. The last they'd seen her she was a mess. It was right after they moved from Forks. They did everything they could to cheer her up but it was no use. Even through the phone, Tanya could feel how happy Ashley sounded. Her questions were a bit awkward but she was considered family so Tanya answered all of them.

After the phone call, everyone turned to Ashley with curious faces. " Well, I'm guessing it was Lauren you took care of. Apparently, he fell in love with Irina and was staying with them. Then he got a phone call from what he called an 'old friend' and that he was doing her a favor. He had been missing ever since," Ashley said, sadness over her tone. Yes, it was true she didn't really like Irina but she finally got a chance at happiness and now he was dead. She didn't even want to think about how that would affect the relationship between the two covens. 

" Now that's sorted out, that brings us to the other matter at hand, Ashley, is your family coming back here?" Sam asked Ashley sternly.

In truth, Ashley didn't know. She hadn't talked to her parents or Alice. She didn't want to interrupt Alice and Bella while they tried saving Edward. She was sure once it was all done A-her aunt would give her a call. As for the rest of the family, even though they saved Edward she didn't know if that meant that they were coming back. 

Ashley looked over to Paul with a sad expression on her face. " I don't know, my aunt and I just came to check on Bella after Aunt Alice had a vision of Bella jumping from the cliff. The rest of the family is back in Ithaca," Ashley responded, thinking Jacob filled them in the events of yesterday night.

Ashley knew that for the pack's sake and the other potential humans who had the gene that it was best if her family didn't come back but if they didn't, that only meant that Ashley had to leave again. Leave Paul. 

The particular topic made both Ashley and Paul comfortable as frowns covered their faces. Sam was quick to notice it. As the Alpha, he didn't want the Cullens coming back but just the thought of having to be separated from his imprint made his heartache. Just as the rest of the pack he had felt Paul's pain for the past 5 months and he couldn't even imagine Emily leaving with no way of contacting her. His gaze found his fiancee and she gave him a sad smile as she was thinking of the same thing. 

" Is there any news from Bella?" Jacob asked ending the silence. Ashley shook her head. " No, not yet. They're, well, somewhere dangerous. They don't need the distraction. I'm sure once it's all over I'll hear from them," she said then turned to Sam, " And then I'll have your answer," she continued. 

After a couple of minutes, the meeting was over. Sam and Emily went shopping. Leah took off. Jacob, Embry, and Quil were sitting in the living room talking. Jared also took off to see her girlfriend, Kim. Paul and Ashley were sitting outside of the house. The sun was setting and they were watching it in silence.

" If they're not coming back, do you have to leave?" Paul asked. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " And live here alone? Paul, I'm only eighteen, I turned eighteen a month ago, how could I start living on my own? Where would I even stay?" Ashley exclaimed.

Paul took her hands, got up and then knelt in front of her. " With me, you can stay with me, you have a family here too," he said then gulped, " The past five months had been unbearable for me, I never want to be away from you and I can't leave the pack, so, Ashley, marry me, let's get married," he said and Ashley gasped. " You're not serious are you?" she asked him. 

" I'm just incredibly desperate," he answered her. Ashley pulled her hands and put them over her eyes. This couldn't be happening. A marriage? Sure, maybe, in the future. Not when she just turned eighteen. It was too soon. Plus, what about her family? Oh god, how would her parents react? 

" A marriage is your solution? Baby, I'm sure we can find something more sensible," Ashley responded, taking a deep breath. Paul tilted his head and sat back next to her. " I admit, that was a bit hysterical," he said and Ashley chuckled. " Nice that you've realized that, ask me later in the future and you might get your answer," she said and Paul smirked before leaning in to kiss her.

Just as the kissing was getting more heated Ashley's phone rang. It was her mom. " This brings back a lot of memories," Ashley murmured. Whenever she and Paul got to do some intimate things phone calls from her family seemed to interrupt them. Paul smirked as Ashley opened the phone. 

" Mom, hey, please tell me Eddy's alright," Ashley said immediately. " He's fine, Alice and Bella managed to get to him. Although some new problems surfaced," Rosalie said with a loud sigh. Ashley looked at Paul as she waited for her mom to continue. " They're on a plane back to Seattle, we're packing right now, we're coming back to Forks," Rosalie finished. Ashley looked at Paul with a smile. Even if it was bad news for the pack she didn't have to leave Paul. " We'll all be settled in by morning, I expect you to be home by now," Rosalie said and Ashley nodded even though she knew her mom couldn't see her. After the phone call, Ashley looked at Paul. " Guess we don't have to get married," she mumbled and Paul chuckled. 

When Emily and Sam came back Ashley and Paul were quick to give the news. Sam was not thrilled with the news however both he and Emily were happy that Ashley got to stay. Imprintees became a part of the pack the second one wolf imprinted and without them, the pack wasn't the same. 

After eating the dinner Emily cooked for everyone that was still there Paul and Ashley took off. It would be their last night together, probably, for a long while. Ashley doubted her dad would be okay with her relationship and it would certainly make things a bit hard for her and Paul. 

The next morning Ashley woke up to several texts from her parents. They were mainly hourly updates on the progress of moving back. The Cullens were back earlier from Alice, Edward, and Bella given that they were flying back from another continent while the rest of them just flown over only from the other side of the country. But now everyone was back, Bella in her house and the Cullens back in the house. That was the last text and it was from twenty minutes ago.

Ashley woke up Paul to inform him that she needed to get going. Paul snorted upon hearing the news but he knew she needed to leave. At least for now. 

The Cullens coming back meant that the treaty was active once again. They couldn't enter the reservation area and the wolves couldn't be near the Cullens. And neither side could tell the truth about each other to the rest of the world. 

" I could give you a ride until the border, maybe someone could pick you up from there," Paul offered. Ashley nodded and took her phone out. She called her mom and told her the plan. Rosalie agreed and told them to get on the road. " We should go now, my family drives really fast," Ashley said and Paul nodded.

Paul put on a shirt for a change and Ashley changed back to the clothes she came to Forks with. She thought that her dad would probably lose his mind seeing her in Paul's clothes. Then they got on his truck.

" You know, you're officially meeting my mom," Ashley said halfway into the drive. Paul turned to her. " Why did you think I put my shirt on?" he asked her and Ashley chuckled. " Would it be weird, for you? I mean, considering your natures and all," she said again and Paul chuckled. " It might be, but you're above all," he responded and that put a smile to Ashley's face. " I love you," she whispered and leaned over to kiss his cheek. 

By the time Paul and Ashley came to the border Rosalie was already there. Upon seeing them she left the car and stood over the border. Both Paul and Ashley got out of the car and stood over the other side of the order. " Mom this is Paul. Paul, this is my mom, Rosalie," Ashley introduced the two. Both of them had an uncomfortable smile. 

" Thank you for taking care of my daughter for the past few days," Rosalie managed to say without grimacing her face. Paul gave her a nod. " Of course, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her," he replied. Rosalie nodded. " Good to hear that," she responded. Ashley sighed. " Guess this is goodbye for now," she said and kissed Paul's cheek. She didn't know if her mother could handle a real kiss right now. 

When the Cullens got back inside the car and started driving away Rosalie smirked once they were out of the hearing range of Paul. " He's not so bad, for his kind, I'll give you that," she said and Ashley chuckled. " Thanks, mom," she said, rolling her eyes. Rosalie could already see the change in Ashley. A week ago it would be impossible to hear her chuckle, now the happiness had returned to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So a couple of notes. Yes, I know normally Tanya is the one who has a crush on Edward but I've changed it into Irina. And, Rose and Paul met!!!! How exciting is that??? As always, thanks for reading!


	16. Fifteen

Ashley didn't anticipate how mad her father would be once she'd seen him after everything. Once she and her mother arrived at the house Ashley was waiting for a warm family dynamic, after the last months the family been through, instead, she got pinned down by her father the minute she walked inside the house. 

" What were you thinking Ashley?" Emmett interjected to his daughter. Ashley took a deep breath. " Aunt Alice decided to come and see if Bella was alright, so I decided to join her," She explained. Emmett huffed. " Aunt Alice is an adult who can decide things, you're still a kid!" 

It was Ashley's turn to huff and roll her eyes now. " I'm eighteen dad! Legally I'm an adult who can make her own decisions!" Ashley fought back and Emmett stood speechless for a while, he knew she was right and he didn't have any counterpoints.

" Honey, I think we all know what this is about, so let's get to the real thing that bugs you, and then we can get over it," Rosalie finally joined in on the conversation, rubbing her husband's shoulder. Then she turned to her daughter. " He's just angry that, after we found out you left with Alice and then she left here, you were still here, with _him, _" Rosalie said.__

__Emmett clenched his teeth with the mention of Paul and Ashley just glared at her father._ _

__" Dad! How long is it going to take you to accept it? He's my boyfriend! We're together and I'm not planning on ending it. Look, I don't expect you to welcome him with open arms with everything that has happened, but can you at least act civilized and tolerate it? Like mom does?"_ _

__Emmett rolled his eyes and turned around. " I am going hunting," he finally said after a couple of minutes of silence. Rosalie looked at him then to her daughter with a sad look. After he left Rosalie came by her Ashley's side. " Better luck next time, I hope," she said and Ashley nodded._ _

__" What's going on?" Another voice came in. It was a voice Ashley hadn't heard in a long time. She was still mad after the little fight with her father and now hearing him just fueled her. She glared to the source of the voice. " Uh, nothing much, just trying to clean up the mess you've caused!" She gritted through her teeth._ _

__Edward was heartbroken over Ashley's words. He knew that she was just taking her anger out on him, justifiable of course, but he wanted to make things better. " You know, I'm not a mind reader like you, but I know my daughter. Ooh, Edward, you have a lot to do to make up to her," Rosalie said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Edward a challenging look. Edward groaned. " I know Rosalie," he said. Rosalie huffed then turned around to go out, to join her husband._ _

__

__That night Edward had brought Bella to the Cullen house. Bella had expressed her interest in becoming a vampire and Edward didn't want that. Of course, that decision would have to affect the family as well, so it had to be put up for a vote. Apparently, that was what Bella had in mind as well, given if the family voted yes, Edward would have to do it._ _

__Ashley was almost asleep when she heard the car coming. After peeking down from her window and seeing Bella, she decided it had to be something important or at least interesting that she'd be here at this hour. She quickly changed out of her pajamas. By the time she entered the room, everyone was there._ _

__" Oh, so Edward is having a family meeting without me? How thoughtful!" Ashley said glaring at an already miserable-looking Edward as she walked towards her parents. " It's not what you think Ashy," Edward said but Ashley shushed him. " You lost the privilege to call me that,"_ _

__Rosalie chuckled at Edward and he gave him a glare. Then the whole family looked at Bella who looked anxious as she stood before them. " You all know what I want, and I know how much I am asking for," she started. " The only thing that I can think of to be fair is just to vote," she continued as Rosalie glared at her. " You don't know what you're talking about," Edward mumbled but Bella shushed him off. " Shut up!". Alice smiled at the interaction which gained Bella's attention._ _

__" Alice?" Bella asked her hopefully. Alice walked up to Bella to hug her. " I already consider you my sister, yes," she said and Bella thanked her. " I vote yes too, I'd be really nice not wanting to kill you every time," Jasper spoke up. Bella scoffed and nodded her head._ _

__" I'm sorry, I'm really sorry to both of you, for how I acted, and I'm really grateful that you were brave enough to go and save my brother, but this isn't a life I would have chosen for myself, not for my daughter, not for anyone and I wish there'd been someone to vote no for me, so, no," Rosalie said. Ashley hugged her mom as she knew the basic story of her when she was human._ _

__" I vote, hell yeah," Emmett said then ran to give Bella a hug and then spin her around. " We can pick up fights with these Volturi some other way," he continued. Before anyone got a chance to say anything else Esme spoke up. " I already consider you a part of the family, yes," she said with a smile. Then Carlisle took a step forwards towards Edward, which stood behind Bella._ _

__" Why are you doing this to me?" Edward finally spoke up, his misery read on his voice. " You know what this means," Edward continued but Carlisle cut him off. " You chose not to live without her, which leaves me no choice, I won't lose my son," he said which indicated he said yes as well._ _

__Then Bella turned to Ashley. Even though she wasn't a vampire she was still a part of the family and this would include and affect her as well. At the moment Ashley was pissed at Edward. For all of the shitty things, he had done to her. He had made her and Paul get separated. She wanted him to feel the same kind of a pain but he already did when they left. But still, she wanted to torture him. After a deep breath, Ashley looked up at first Bella and then Edward. " I vote yes too," she said and glared at her uncle._ _

__

__The next couple of days were as peaceful as it came. Edward stayed out of Ashley's way, just like she wanted, and instead spent time with Bella. Then, on the first weekend that the Cullen's were officially back, he took Bella to see her mother and stepdad. Of course, this was the part without all the drama. Victoria, the tracker vampire James's mate was a threat._ _

__Ashley told the family that while they were gone she came a few times and then after they moved back she came back again. This was alarming for the Cullens. They knew that she wanted to hurt them. Alice had a vision that Victoria would come back the same weekend that Edward took Bella to see her mom. Of course the only part they told Ashley was Victoria was coming, sometimes, and she needed to be extra careful._ _

__On the morning of Edward and Bella's arrival, somehow Ashley ended up picking them up from the airport. She knew that Edward did that as a scheme or something to talk to her and she wasn't going to let him win. Since their flight landed early so they wouldn't miss school, Ashley had to get up early and drive for a while. Because of that, she went to sleep early._ _

__" Hey Ashley, thanks for picking us up," Bella said as she sat next to Ashley in the car. Edward took the back seat. " Yeah, no problem," Ashley mumbled as she started driving. During the way, she and Bella made small talk. Edward didn't participate but since he could read Ashley's mind he usually chimed in with her reaction. In response, Ashley thought of things that'd anger Edward to keep him out or at least annoy him._ _

__When they arrived at Forks Bella asked Ashley whether they could stop at her house while she changed and grabbed her school equipment. Given that they still had time Ashley accepted. Ashley expected Edward to go with Bella but instead, he stayed in the car. She just huffed in annoyance._ _

__" Ashley, I'm sorry," Edward said. Ashley didn't answer. " Really, I am, I know I fucked up bad and I, I was selfish. I acted on my behalf without thinking of the family and you. From the bottom of my heart I am really sorry." he said. " Well, at least you know your fault," Ashley shot back. You mean so much to me and the way our relationship is at the moment hurts me, when I'd call the past months and they'd told me the way you were, it crushed me. I felt and still am feeling so guilty over the way I made you and caused you pain, because of my actions," he said._ _

__Ashley didn't answer and Bella got back in the car. " I'm back, we can go," Bella said. She caught the awkward tension in the car but decided to stay silent. The drive to school was silent since no one spoke up. Until Ashley parked. Edward looked out of the window suspiciously then turned to the girls. " Would you stay in the car if I asked you to?" he said then got out of the car._ _

__The girls looked at each other and then quickly followed Edward. Edward looked at them then turned around, grimacing his face. " Of course not," he mumbled. Then the three started walking towards the school where Ashley and Bella finally spotted Jacob._ _

__" Hey," Bella greeted him as he walked towards them. " Charlie said you left town," Jacob said as if he was asking a question. " Yeah, to visit my mom. Why?" Bella asked nonchalantly. Edward chuckled beside them. " He's just checking to see if you are still human," he shot at Jacob. Jacob took a deep breath and turned to Edward._ _

__" Look, I'm here to warn you," he said sternly. Edward rolled his eyes while Ashley and Bella gave each other another confused look. " If your kind comes into our land again," Jacob continued but Bella and Ashley cut him off, asking " Wait, what?" at the same time._ _

__Jacob looked at Edward with his eyes squinted. " You didn't tell them?" he asked in disbelief. Edward shook his head. " Just leave it alone Jacob," he growled. " Tell us what?" Bella asked Edward. He turned to Bella. " Emmett and Paul, last night they had a misunderstanding," he said._ _

__" What?" Ashley exclaimed. " My dad and Paul? What kind of misunderstanding Edward?" she continued and Edward shrugged. " It's nothing to worry about, I swear," he said. Jacob scoffed. " Listen to you, did you lie to get Bella out of town too?" he said angrily as he took a step towards Edward. " Just, leave, now," Edward gritted through his teeth. " They have a right to know, Bella's the one the redhead wants," Jacob said calmly but as if he was threatening Edward._ _

__" Victoria?" Bella asked in disbelief. She didn't know anything about it and Ashley bit her lip anxiously. Edward closed his eyes as he turned to Bella. " Alice's vision," Bella mumbled and Edward said, " I was trying to protect you,". Bella scoffed. " By lying to me?"_ _

__It was time for Ashley to join in on the conversation for more than just exclamations. " Is that why you guys had me pick you up from the airport? So I would go to sleep early and be safely away from everything that's going on? Wow, great, you are just adding up your mistakes Eddy, and here I was almost considering to forgive you after your heartfelt speech, geez!" Ashley exclaimed and started to walk towards her car._ _

__Edward didn't have time catching up with her since Bella said that she and he would talk about it. And then everything happened so quickly. Bella turned to Jacob and said that they needed to talk as well and in a matter of minutes Ashley was in her car, getting out of the school's parking lot and Bella was on a motorbike with Jacob, also going away and Edward was left alone in the lot._ _

__Ashley knew that her parents went hunting, probably because of the night before, they lost a lot of energy. And to get the grasp of what was really going she started going to Emily's to ask. She knew Paul or at least someone who'd answer be there._ _

__When she arrived there Jacob and Bella were also there. They were standing outside with Quil, Embry, Jared, and Paul. They were laughing at something. As she got out of the car and started marching towards Paul, Jared hit Paul's shoulder. " Ooh, this doesn't seem good," he said._ _

__" Hey," Paul said smiling. " Don't hey me," Ashley responded sharply. Before Paul could answer Leah Clearwater got out of the house. Jacob introduced her to Bella and then Bella expressed her condolences. Then Leah brushed it off and said, " If you're here to torture Jacob some more, feel free to leave,"_ _

__" Fun, isn't she?" Jacob said trying to lighten the mood but Ashley turned to Paul again. But, again, before she could say anything Sam and Emily came out. Emily came rushing towards Ashley to hug her and then Bella, " I was wondering when you'd show up your faces,"_ _

__Jacob turned to Sam. " Sam, are we good?" he asked him, motioning Bella. Sam nodded. " We are good," he replied. Ashley turned to Paul. " We are not good, come with me," she hissed, grabbed his hand, and dragged him away from the crowd. " Ooh, trouble in paradise!" She heard Jared say._ _

__" Babe, what's going on?" Paul finally said when they were out of hearing range. Ashley crossed her arms and glared at him. She stood in silence for a while before she exploded. " Really? I mean, really? My dad?" She exclaimed and then Paul nodded, finally understanding why she was so mad._ _

__" When Jacob showed up and then Edward said that you and my dad had a misunderstanding, what exactly happened? And don't lie to me, I know my parents will probably brush it off like Edward so I'm counting on you," Ashley said. Paul took a deep breath. " The redhead, she was here last night," he said and Ashley nodded. She had put the pieces together that much. Her aunt's vision, the protection on her and Bella, the family hunting today._ _

__" Both us and, uh, the le-, your family were tracking her down. She was bouncing back and forth between our lands and yours. When she climbed to ours, well, your dad did too, so I attacked him," he said. Ashley's eyes opened up with shock. " I'm sorry, did I misheard you, did you say you ATTACKED MY FATHER?"_ _

__Paul took a deep breath as he turned around. Then he turned back to face Ashley. " What was I supposed to do? The treaty clearly states that they cannot enter our lands and he did. It was necessary," Paul half-shouted. Ashley closed her eyes. When you thought about it, he was kind of right. Her family knew the treaty and knew that the wolves didn't like them and Paul's instinct must've kicked in. " Plus, he was fine, I didn't do really much damage, he was up and running and all," Paul added._ _

__Ashley opened her eyes as she breathed out. " Fine, I guess you do have a point, but now, in my dad's eyes, he'll dislike you even more, oh gosh, he'll never let me out of the house," Ashley said. Then she realized the bruise on Paul's body. " Wait, what's this?" She said as she reached her hand out, softly touching it._ _

__" Nothing really, it's already healing," Paul mumbled but Ashley cast him a glare and he puffed. " It happened last night, while I attacked your dad," he continued. " My DAD DID THIS?" Ashley exclaimed again._ _

__She was really screwed. Emmett wouldn't leave her to see Paul again, claiming he'd be dangerous. Also with the thing between Bella and Jacob made Edward annoyed so he would only support Emmett. In addition, Ashley basically ditched school today. She was so screwed._ _

__" Ashley, baby, calm down," Paul said, almost like a chuckle, " I'm fine, your dad's fine too, the only thing is that they shouldn't come to our lands again, if they do, there's nothing we can do but to attack them," he added. Ashley nodded. Then she hugged Paul. " On the way here, I kept imagining things in my head after I found out about him, I was worried," she mumbled and Paul kissed the top of her head._ _

__After their conversation, they went back to Emily's house. Jared was outside with Embry and they were laughing about something. " Oh, come on!" Jared exclaimed once he'd spotted the couple, " I expected bruises!" he said and Ashley glared at him. Jared chuckled and put up his hands as a gesture of surrender._ _

__They joined the wolves' conversation. Paul threw an arm around Ashley as they listened to Embry. He was talking about how he got better at the whole transformation thing. Jared and Paul were giving off tips since they had more practice. After a while Embry and Jared went inside, claiming they were hungry._ _

__" You know, that was hot," Ashley said and Paul chuckled. " Can you be more specific? I'm usually hot," he said and Ashley hit him jokingly. " I meant the way you knew what you were talking about, giving tips and everything, it was hot," she said. Paul smiled. " Well," he said while he put his arms around Ashley's waist and gently pushed her towards the wall of Emily's house, " I'm the Beta, I've gotta know a few things," he said cockily. Ashley smirked. " Oh, are you now?" she said as Paul leaned in to kiss her._ _

__As their lips met Ashley forgot the whole ordeal that happened the night before, her anger at Edward, her parent's rage for later on, and just focused on Paul, his lips on hers._ _

__Their kissing, unfortunately, got interrupted by Ashley's growling stomach. Ashley tried to chuckle as blood rushed to her cheeks. " Um, I had an early breakfast," she mumbled. Since she had to pick up Edward and Bella, she had to get on the way when the sun was coming up. She picked up a sandwich on the way when she stopped for gas. It had been a few hours since that._ _

__" It's okay, Emily's already got something cooked, I think it's those muffins you love so much," he said with a chuckle. Ashley nodded as they went inside. Embry, Quil, and Jared were stuffing themselves with the muffins. Emily was in the kitchen, probably cooking something else and Sam was nowhere to be seen._ _

__Upon seeing the couple the three of the boys immediately stopped eating and started to make out with themselves. " Uhmm, I'm the Beta, yeah, I'm so hot," Jared said as the boys fake moaned. Ashley stood in her tiptoes as more blood rushed to her cheeks. She forgot that they were totally capable of hearing that._ _

__Paul charged at Jared and they fell down, Jared laughing. " I'm the Beta, you can't defeat me!" Jared said as the boys laughed more. " Guys! Cmon, that's enough," Emily said with an amused expression as she put out more muffins to the table. She grabbed one and gave it to Ashley. " Thanks," Ashley mumbled as she tried to eat the muffin to distract herself from the embarrassment._ _

__

__When Ashley finally went home, her family, but especially her parents were super angry. Well, she was too, and the moment she dreaded the whole day had come. " Ashley!" Rosalie shouted when she entered the living room. " How could you ditch school? Without telling us? We were worried sick! You can't do that without informing us!"_ _

__Ashley took a deep breath. " Well, you guys do a lot of things without telling me!" She exclaimed then turned to her dad. " I know about last night, I'm sure Edward had already informed you about this morning. I went there to check up on him and to learn what happened because unlike you guys he tells me things!" Ashley exclaimed._ _

__" Ashley," Emmett started but Ashley cut him off. " You crossed to their lands dad! What was he supposed to do? Plus, I saw the bruises on his body! Really? I think we know that there was another motive behind that little 'misunderstanding' beside Victoria,"_ _

__" Honey, we were just trying to stop Victoria, just like them, what happened between him and Emmett was totally unplanned for," Carlisle said. " And you ditching school was wrong sweetie," Esme added. Ashley rolled her eyes._ _

__" So what? I'm at fault now?" She expressed in disbelief. " We're not saying that you are at fault, just that ditching school without informing any of us was wrong and it had us worried, especially with Victoria out there," Alice said._ _

__Ashley shrugged. " Edward was there, he saw me going, he knew where I was going," Ashley defended herself. Edward's mind-reading had finally come in handy. " Kiddo, just let it go with this one," Jasper said. Ashley took a deep breath, stomped her foot to the ground, and then stormed out to her room._ _


	17. Sixteen

After the whole 'ditching school' thing, just like Ashley predicted, she was kind of grounded. She'd ride to school with her parents and they'd get her from her last class and accompany her to the house. 

She'd broken the trust so now, they didn't trust her to leave on her. Which meant that she couldn't see Paul or the pack. It had been two weeks. Paul and she would talk on the phone occasionally when he wasn't at patrol or doing anything and they'd text. At least they had a way of communication.

Meanwhile, Bella was at La Push frequently. She and Edward had some kind of a deal since the pack wouldn't hurt Bella and with the condition that Bella keeps her phone with her anytime she was there Edward let her go there.

That week Ashley and Bella got paired up for another class project and they got to talking. " It's really killing me, they're acting like I'm a five-year-old," Ashley huffed and Bella faintly chuckled. " I can relate, kind of. When I went to Italy my dad was pissed,"

Ashley gave her a sympathetic look. Her mother was right, Bella was really brave enough to go there, to Volturi. " What about me?" Bella asked. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " What about you?" she asked back. Bella shrugged, " Would your family be okay with you hanging out with me? My house isn't really that far away and we can hang out in Forks or we can go see a movie," Bella suggested.

Bella felt really close to Ashley. They were the same age and she was the only one who knew the Cullen's secret besides her. Plus it was really easy to talk to her. Also, she didn't hold a grudge against the wolves like the rest of her family so she could talk about Jake and other stuff. And she felt bad for Ashley.

" I'll have to ask about that, but I think there may be some hope after all," Ashley replied.

Surprisingly her parents didn't argue with Ashley. Emmett already liked Bella. Plus they'd be hanging out in Forks which meant if something went wrong they could go without any problems. And just because she was kind of grounded didn't mean she shouldn't get to live her teenage years like some kind of a prisoner. They wanted Ashley to have a normal life, as normal as it could get anyway. 

So, after informing Bella about the good news the girls agreed on meeting that Saturday at Bella's house. Ashley was over the moon, to say the least. It was certain that Bella would be the newest addition to the family and she wanted to have a good relationship with her. 

Other than that, Ashley had one more thing to worry about. University. There were many good schools for architecture in the United States, or in the world, however, unfortunately, none of them were close to Forks. The closest was the University of Washington which was in Seattle.

Bella and Edward were bickering about their applications. Ashley didn't know if Edward really wanted to go to university. But she knew for a fact that he wanted Bella to go to one. Ashley wanted to go but now her plans had changed. Too much of her life changed. She had Paul. And the future was uncertain at the moment. She didn't know where her family would move next or even let her go. 

With her application in her hand, Ashley made her way to the cafeteria. After they came back Bella and Edward sat with Bella's friends. Alice and Jasper often joined them. Ashley made her way to her parents' table. She was working on her applications. Her parents looked over to them.

" Why are they all in Washington?" Rosalie asked her daughter. She shrugged. " I don't know how long we'll stay here or where we'll go next, I just wanted to be close," Ashley mumbled. Rosalie looked at her husband and then back to Ashley. " Are you sure? There's no other reason?"

Ashley rolled her eyes. " What about Bella?" she asked them. Emmett leaned over the table. " I heard she's applying to Dartmouth, Edward thinks she'll probably get in," he said. Ashley looked at her parents, confused. " Wait, Dartmouth? But, but that's on the other side of the country!" Ashley exclaimed. Was the family moving there? Or only Edward and Bella? " So, it depends on Bella? Where we move next?" Ashley asked her parents. " It depends on both of you, kiddo," Emmett answered. 

" Honey, don't think about that, just think about your own future. Where do you want to go, education-wise? Where do you think you can get the best of it? And choose according to that, your education will be an important part of your future and we only want you to have the best," Rosalie said softly. Ashley nodded as she took a deep breath. Either way, things would get complicated and hard.

With her plans on Saturday, the week felt like it didn't pass for Ashley. Finally, when she woke up there was a genuine smile planted on her face. She loved her family but seriously spending almost every waking minute of the day made her feel bored especially when she could certainly do other things, things that would make her boredom go away. And the majority of it involved a certain wolf.

After quickly having the breakfast Esme cooked for her Ashley got dressed and hopped on to her car. She even missed driving a car too much. The ride from her house to Bella's was a rather short one once you got past the forest road. 

Of course, seeing Edward leave from Bella's when she arrived wasn't a big surprise for Ashley. She didn't see him at the house in the morning and suspected him to be there. " Hey Ashley, good morning," Edward said to Ashley as she stepped out of the car. She gave her uncle a cold smile and mumbled a 'hey'. 

Minutes later they were inside the house. " So, what should we do?" Ashley asked her friend once they hugged and got inside the house. 

The girls ended up talking for a good couple of hours. The topics changed drastically. They both talked about their lives before they met each other, how Bella was while they were gone, how Ashley was when they were in Ithaca, Bella's and Edward's relationship, Ashley's and Paul's relationship, questions to each other. 

Ashley never realized how easy it was to talk to Bella. Especially now that she knew the secret, there was someone who understood. She could talk freely, rant about the stuff that bothered her, not give extra attention to her words or filter anything. 

As Bella talked about the past months, her depression and then her introduction to the wolf pack Ashley couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Especially the parts about Paul and his anger. " I ended up hitting him," Bella mumbled and Ashley burst out laughing. " Oh my god, I can't believe you did that!" 

As horrendous the events were, it did not change the fact that Bella hitting Paul was a funny thing. " It didn't know it would make you laugh like this, especially when it didn't feel like it," Bella asked and Ashley tried to contain her laughter. " It's just, you know, he's a wolf, he's a giant wolf and has like super strength and everything and then you hit him, I just keep trying to picture his face as it happened, it must've been hilarious," 

Bella nodded, " I guess you are a bit right, his face was shocked for a split second before he wolfed out on me," then she took a deep breath, " Do you really think that the wolves are as strong as the vampires?" she asked Ashley.

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " I don't know, I've never really seen them in action but I guess they are. Cmon, you remember the project from last year, if they weren't strong how were they able to protect their tribe for all these years from them? Of course with them being a pack they're more powerful but I'm sure they can take down one or two vampires if it came to that, if they truly know how to fight,"

Bella slowly nodded again as she drifted off. In her mind, she was concerned about the wolves. She had seen vampires in action and knew how strong and fast they were. And the wolves, well, they were just wolves. Yes, they took down Laurent but he was alone and didn't know the area well when the wolves had multiple people. 

" Why do you want to be like my family?" Ashley asked Bella out of the blue. She really wanted to know that. Bella shrugged. " It's hard to explain, I don't know if I'll find the right words or it will come out the way I want them too but I want Edward. I want to be with him and not in the short time span of a human. He doesn't deserve just a few years with me when everyone else in his family gets forever. It doesn't feel right, he's been alone for so long, romantically, and what, after fifty years with me he'll be all alone again. Plus, he'll still be looking really hot and I'll get old, fat and wrinkly,"

Ashley sighed, " Edward, looking really hot? Really?" she said and Bella softly punched her as they shared a laugh. " Just, just don't tease me," Bella mumbled and Ashley nodded, trying to contain her laugh. 

" He's really sorry, you know," Bella said after a minute. " About what went down, he told me about it, how he didn't realize his decision would affect you too and that your condition killed him every day," she continued. Ashley sighed as she looked at her friend. 

" I know," Ashley shortly replied. Bella upper her left eyebrow. " But just because he's sorry doesn't mean that I can forgive him that easily. What he did, it affected the whole family Bella. He wasn't there with us. The family broke apart. All of us were separated, the dynamic was broken. Plus the whole thing with Paul. They were the ones who told me not to tell them who I really was and then he goes and pulls a stunt like that, I couldn't contact him, I wasn't allowed to and it killed me every day," Ashley softly said, as if she was reliving the moments. 

Bella nodded. " I understand, it's just that, it's been a while since that happened and even I managed to forgive him," she said and Ashley rolled her eyes. " Yeah, 'cause you're in love with him," she said and Bella glared at her.

" I don't know, I'll probably forgive him but first I want him to suffer a bit, and it would probably take a few big gestures," Ashley said and Bella nodded.

After that, the new topic was the university. Bella said that she was thinking of applying to the University of Alaska so it'd be easier for the Cullens however Edward also made her apply to other few schools like Dartmouth. " He really thinks that I can get in," Bella mumbled as she talked about it.

Then it was Ashley's turn to talk about her choices.

" I'm not really sure where I want, my parents say that I'm free to choose wherever I like but I don't know where that is," Ashley replied to Bella. Bella softly smiled. " Is it because of Paul?" she asked her. Ashley nodded. " Partially, yes,"

Bella took a deep breath. " Look, I'm not really an expert on the wolves or the imprinting thing, I only know what Jake has told me. And apparently, it makes them do everything in their power to make you happy or something like that. So if you leave, I'm sure he'll follow you to the ends of the earth," Bella said. Ashley nodded.

" Yes, I know that, which makes me more stressed and frustrated. He's a human being too, he shouldn't just be okay with changing his whole life for me. This is his home, where his family is, the pack and everyone. I don't want him to leave if he doesn't want it truly, for himself and just for me," Ashley said.

" And you also don't want to get away from him," Bella added and Ashley nodded. Both girls sighed. " There is still time for that, right? You can figure it out and I'm always here for the support," Bella said as she squeezed Ashley's shoulder.

When the sun was setting Ashley knew it was her time to go. After weeks of figurative imprisonment, that day with Bella was really nice but she also knew she couldn't force her chance.

It was when she grabbed her phone to put on music that Ashley realized she didn't use her phone for the whole day and there were thousands of messages and missed calls from Paul. " Oh, god," Ashley mumbled to herself as she called him back.

" Ashley, oh my god, are you alright?" Paul opened the phone in an instant. Ashley chuckled. " Yeah, I'm okay, did something happen?" she asked him. She heard Paul sigh. " No, but when you didn't answer I was worried that something may have happened," he replied and Ashley giggled. " It's alright, nothing happened. Bella and I really got into talking and I didn't hear the phone, I'm on my home right now,"

" What did you talk about?" Paul asked her. Ashley shrugged, even though he couldn't see it. " Stuff," she replied. " Stuff?" Paul asked her but she could imagine the smirk on his face. " Yeah, girl stuff, future plans, boyfriends, and oh, I found out she hit you," Ashley said, not being able to contain her laughter toward the ending. 

" Oh," Paul mumbled. " It's not funny," he continued but Ashley couldn't stop it. " Yeah, sure, a girl Bella's size hitting you, the size of, well, uhm, _you _, isn't something to be laughed at when you picture it," Ashley said meanwhile she turned the ignition on and got on the road.__

__Ashley and Paul talked on the phone the whole ride until Ashley arrived home. " Gosh, I miss you so much baby," Paul said. Ashley nodded. " I know, me too," Ashley said. And she wanted to add ' but at least we can talk and text on the phone', but she didn't, not wanting to surface the unpleasant memories._ _

__When she walked in she found her aunt Alice and uncle Jasper watching TV._ _

__" Hey guys, where is everyone?" Ashley asked them. " Esme went to pick up Carlisle, they're going for a date night. Edward's with your parents," Alice ansered. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " What's he doing with them?"_ _

__" Hunting," Jasper quickly answered. " Huh," Ashley sat as she sat next to them. She was suspicious but decided not to dig on it give she already had a lot on her plate. " So, how's everything going with Paul?" Alice asked her niece._ _

__" Good," Ashley replied. Alice pouted. " Cmon! I really get only a word as a response! You know that I need more than that Ashley!" Alice exclaimed. Ashley giggled. " What do you want me to say, Auntie?"_ _

__Alice shrugged. " Everything," she said and Ashley rolled her eyes. " As you know, since I have been grounded for the last weeks we haven't exactly got a chance to meet up. We text usually," Ashley replied and Alice nodded. " Have you had sex yet?" She asked her._ _

__" Alice!" Jasper exclaimed as Ashley's pupils dilated and blood rushed to her cheeks. " Alice, I may be just fine with Ashley talking about her love life but that is a red flag," Jasper said sharply. Alice rolled her eyes. " You guys are no fun," she pouted._ _

__After a few minutes of awkward silence, Ashley spoke up. " So you guys are okay with it?"_ _

__Jasper shrugged. " Not particularly kiddo, we just don't want any harm coming your way. But other than that we can all see the change in you, the positive change, so we try to be okay with it," he replied, then he got closer to Ashley and whispered even though Alice was more than capable of hearing it. " Plus, I feel how you're feeling about him, it's just like how Alice and I feel about each other, or your parents, or anyone else in the house and I don't have it in me to be the one who gets in the way,"_ _

__Ashley nodded. " I just wish dad could see it too, I mean I don't get why is there such hate between them? I kind of get their side but they haven't actually done to you guys, why is dad so against them?"_ _

__" Because it's in their nature to hate us and naturally the attitude becomes harsh. Plus, you know your dad, he wasn't ready to share you, it just happened and it was one of them. Your dad is trying to process all of it," Alice replied and Ashley nodded. She trying to understand her dad's side. Her mother got it why couldn't her father do it too? She really did love Paul, he was good to her, was his hatred really blinded him that much that he couldn't see it?_ _

__

__A couple of hours later Rosalie and Emmett returned to the house. When they just arrived Ashley's phone rang. It was Bella. " Hey, wanna go to the movies tomorrow?" Bella asked her upon opening the phone. Ashley looked at her parents for approval before giving an answer. Rosalie nodded her head and Ashley took that as a 'yes'._ _

__" Sure, it sounds great," she replied, " We'll text about the details,"_ _

__

__The next day Ashley felt that something was wrong. Rosalie, Alice, and Esme were all laughing at her and were speaking suggestively. Then when it was time for Ashley to get ready Alice practically dragged her niece to get her ready._ _

__" Alright, I don't know what's going on with you guys but you are acting totally weird," Ashley said as she got into her car. Alice just smirked and Rosalie smiled. " Have fun," Rosalie said._ _

__Ashley picked Bella up from her house on the way to the theatre. " Take a left from here," Bella said. Ashley turned to her, confused. " But the theatre is the other way," she said and Bella shrugged. " We just need to make a stop first," she said. Ashley nodded but she was suspicious. Why was everyone acting so strange?_ _

__It was when Ashley saw the motorbike and the two guys leaning against it that she understood all the suspicious behavior. " What the hell?" she said as she spotted them. Bella smiled. " Surprise!" she said. It was Paul and Jacob._ _

__" I can't! I'm still grounded, my parents will know," Ashley mumbled. All she really wanted was to speed up the car, get out and hug Paul. " No, you're not!" Bella exclaimed, " Edward convinced your parents to end it, and then we talked to Paul through Jake to surprise you!" she continued. Ashley turned to her. " You're saying my parents, _my parents _, planned this?"___ _

____" Well, it was mostly Edward and Rosalie but still, let's go!" Bella said and Ashley smiled to herself as she sped up. After quickly pulling to the side of the road and turning off the ignition she was out in a flash._ _ _ _

____She was instantly covered by Paul. " I missed you," he murmured to her air and Ashley smiled. " I missed you too," she answered._ _ _ _

____After their hug, they turned to the other two people. Ashley mouthed a 'thank you' to Bella and she smiled in response. " So, I'll guess we'll leave you now then, have fun," Jacob said as he smirked. Then he and Bella got on his motorbike._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Ashley and Paul ended up going to a restaurant. Ashley didn't want to waste time at the cinema. They got to talking instantly. It was about various things. The pack, Ashley's family and then it finally came to graduation._ _ _ _

____" Isn't it time for applications?" Paul asked her. Ashley nodded. " Yeah, it actually ended about a week ago. They'll start to mail the results in a few weeks," Ashley mumbled in response. " Where did you apply?" Paul asked her._ _ _ _

____Ashley didn't answer. To be honest, she didn't want to talk to Paul about this, she felt like it was going to be a sensitive topic._ _ _ _

____" What's wrong baby?" Paul asked Ashley, now with a serious face. Ashley softly smiled. " I applied to a few places. My parents told me I could apply wherever I want as long as I'd be happy," Ashley started, Paul nodded, signaling for her to continue," But I still don't know where I want to go. As you may guess, my family, we move to places every few years, and now that Bella has come into the picture, I don't know where we'll end up, but there's also another factor, well, you, so I applied to a bunch of places where we might go and then a few here in Washington," She finished._ _ _ _

____Paul stayed silent for a moment before grabbing Ashley's hand and looking at her eyes. " Your parents are right, you should choose the school you'd be most happy in," he answered. Ashley bit her lip. " What about you?" she asked him. He shrugged. " I don't know, I'll probably follow you," he answered truthfully._ _ _ _

____Ashley shook her head. " If none of this would've happened, you didn't phase and my family never came here, and you had the chance, would you ever leave?" Ashley asked him. Paul was taken aback by her question._ _ _ _

____After a sigh, " I don't really know, actually, I've never thought of leaving here, " Paul said after a moment. Ashley nodded. " See? That's why I've had my doubts. Even back then you didn't want to leave, and now you have more things making you stay here, I'd hate myself if I was the one who made you go," Ashley said._ _ _ _

____Paul shook her head. " Baby, remember when I told you about imprinting, once I do it, everything and everyone becomes secondary. And it did. Nothing is more important than you. If you go, I'll follow you," he said. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows and could feel eyes getting teary. " But you shouldn't have too, it's not fair, you're a person too,"_ _ _ _

____As a single tear dropped to her face Paul wiped it off. " But I want to," he said. Then he sighed. " Let's just talk about this when you get your results, alright?" he asked her. Ashley nodded._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____It was only when Ashley was going back home that she noticed the extra phone in her car. Apparently, Bella had forgotten it in the morning. With a sigh to herself, Ashley changed her route to Bella's house._ _ _ _

____When she was there she found Edward on the porch of the house. She could see the blackness of his eyes which meant that either he hadn't fed in a while, which she knew was incorrect given that he was hunting with her parents just yesterday, or that he was overwhelmed by his feelings._ _ _ _

____" Do you understand how worried I've been?" Edward said with an emotion Ashley couldn't quite put her finger on. " I was perfectly safe, I just forgot my phone," Bella pleaded. Ashley felt like it was her cue to get in. " Hey guys, Bella, you forgot your phone in my car," she said, handing her friend her phone._ _ _ _

____" I almost broke the treaty to make sure," Edward started sharply but then he stopped. Bella rolled her eyes. " I know I smell like a dog, I'm sorry," she started but Edward cut him off, going inside the house. " No, it's not that, something's wrong,"_ _ _ _

____Ashley and Bella shared a look of confusion before following Edward into Bella's room._ _ _ _

____" Edward, what's wrong?" Bella asked once the girls were standing by the door. " Someone's been in here," Edward said slowly._ _ _ _


	18. Seventeen

After the revelation that somebody, a vampire, was in Bella's house, an immediate family meeting was called. Emmett and Jasper went to track the vampire, as far as they could.

When they came back the rest of the family were in the middle of talking and theorizing who it could be.

" Who was it? Someone, we know?" Carlisle asked, standing up, seriousness both in his voice and figure. " A stranger, I didn't recognize his scent," Edward answered.

" A nomad passing through?" Esme asked, trying to see the better out of the situation. " A passerby wouldn't have left Bella's father alive," Rosalie spoke up. With her mother's words, Ashley got a sense of how serious this thing was.

Then her uncle and dad walked into the room.

" The scent disappeared about five miles south of Bella's house," Jasper said sternly. Ashley saw her grandfather sigh. " Someone's orchestrating this," he said.

" Victoria?" Bella asked the room. Alice shook her head. " I would have seen her decide," she said. Ashley knew that even though her family didn't express it they were alarmed and were doing everything in their power to monitor the situation.

" It has to be the Volturi," Edward spoke up. Alice ended up disagreeing again, saying she was monitoring them too.

" So we keep on looking," Emmett said. " We'll also take shifts guarding Bella at the house," Carlisle added.

Rosalie looked up to Carlisle. " Another protection detail?" she said calmly but everyone knew she wasn't calm. Edward called her name but she didn't back down and Bella ended up agreeing with her. " We'll all drop whatever we're doing to protect Bella, in all this mess, what about Ashley? She should be your priority as well," 

" Mom," Ashley tried to plead but Carlisle stopped them. " Rosalie, I get how you are feeling, and Ashley has never been second priority. But as I've told you before, Bella is a part of the family as well, and we protect our family," 

" You can't protect me, watch my father and search for the intruder," Bella said desperately. " And for Victoria," Rosalie added harshly. " And keep yourselves fed you guys," Ashley added, finally speaking up. Rosalie turned to her daughter. For a brief moment, everyone but Ashley forgot that they also needed to fed as well. With so much responsibility on them, they couldn't have forgotten to do it.

" I'm not leaving you here defenseless," Edward almost growled. " Well I'm not gonna let you starve, or any of you," Bella shot back. " And I wouldn't be unprotected, I, I have," she started but stopped. As Edward looked at her in disbelief Ashley got where Bella was going at. The pack.

The protection detail was the wolves.

It wasn't an easy alliance but with the help of Ashley and Jacob's willingness to help they agreed. Cullens would guard Bella and then the wolfs took over so that Cullens could feed.

Since everyone pretty much had a lot of jobs to do Ashley ended up staying at Bella's. At first, her mom was against it but seeing how there would always be someone to guard the house she agreed. At least she wouldn't be alone.

Now, three days later, Ashley was at the Swan house. Charlie was at work so the girls were alone at the house. Ashley was over at the window, looking down. She could see her parents. Rosalie looked up and smiled at her daughter who returned the gesture. 

" This is insane," Bella mumbled. " The whole thing," she continued. Ashley walked to Bella's bed, where she was half lying. " I don't understand, who is this vampire, why is he after me and the whole Victoria thing," she said.

Ashley took a deep breath. " James was her mate. In their world having a mate is this special thing. As my mom puts it, you're bound for an eternity of hell but with your, mate it to gets less hell-ier?" Ashley said. Bella nodded.

" Is that how you feel with Paul?" Bella asked Ashley. Ashley took a deep breath. " I don't feel like I'm in hell but I'll admit, he makes it better. Like, I get this rush in me whenever we're close and I just feel happy just being near him. I don't if it can ever be expressed through words, he makes me feel alive," Ashley said and Bella nodded.

Then Ashley noticed the time. It was time her parents would go and the wolves would take over. Her parents would go hunting and then something like patrolling so Ashley wouldn't be seeing them for two days. 

So Ashley and Bella got out of the house. As Ashley was hugging her parents goodbye they heard the sound of the wolves. Upon seeing them a smile was formed on Ashley's face. She knew the light silver wolf. It was Paul.

After a short glaring off between the Cullens and the wolfs Rosalie and Emmett left. 

" Hey guys," Ashley waved at the wolfs as she got closer. Paul lowered his head so that Ashley could touch him. Ashley first petted his head and then softly hugged the huge wolf. A whimpering came from the other wolf.

" Judging by that reaction, I'm guessing that's Jared?" Ashley asked as she eyed the other wolf giggling. The other wolf nodded his head, or at least it seemed like that. " Hello Jared, what's up? Everything good?" Ashley asked him. The wolf made a sound as if he was saying good. Ashley nodded.

" Alright, we'll go in now, I'm getting kind of sleepy, but if you guys need anything just let us know," Ashley said.

Two days later Ashley and Bella went to La Push. It was a Saturday and all of the Cullens had something to do. Since wolves would be watching them they decided to go there so it'd be easier for them. 

While Bella and Jacob took off together Ashley stayed at Emily's with Jared and Leah. All the other wolves were on patrol. Sam wasn't taking any chances.

Jared, Leah, and Ashley were sitting outside, on the porch. Jared was telling Ashley about the bonfire that would happen the next day. " It's where the elders come together and tell about the legends of the tribe, it's totally awesome," Jared said. 

" The secrets of the tribe," Leah pointed out. Jared rolled his eyes. " But Ashley isn't a stranger, she's an imprintee, she gets to come," Jared fought back. Leah huffed. " Yeah, the imprint of Lahote, the one guy who never even wanted an imprint," Leah scoffed.

As soon as Leah stopped talking Ashley felt her heartbreak into a million pieces. Paul never wanted to imprint? What did that mean?

" Ashley, don't listen to Leah," Jared interjected, after his glare to Leah. Ashley shook her head then turned to Jared. As far as she knew Jared was Paul's best friend. " Is it true?" She asked him. She saw the defeated look in Jared's eyes and didn't need a verbal approval. 

" It doesn't matter now, look at how happy he is now that you're here, his mind is completely changed!" Jared tried to argue but Ashley didn't listen as she got up. " Ashley! Please stay!" Jared called after her but Ashley didn't listen as she made her way over to her car. 

Right then Jacob and Bella came back. " Ashley, where are you going?" Bella interjected. She could suspect something was wrong with her friend. Ashley shook her head as she tried to overcome the pain she started feeling on her chest. " I'm going home, I feel a little under the moon," Ashley quickly explained then got on her car.

As the pack and Bella watched her leave Jared turned to Leah. " Why did you do that?" he asked her sharply. Leah shrugged. " I wasn't lying," she said and Jared scoffed. " You'll explain this to Paul when he gets back, you know, why his imprint wasn't here when he came back," he said.

After an hour Ashley came to her house her phone started to blow up with calls from Paul. Ashley didn't have it in herself to open them. So she put it on silent and left it on the counter. The house was empty. No one was there. 

As far as she knew, Edward, Alice, and Jasper were on Bella duty. She must've come back by now. Carlisle and Esme were feeding. Her parents were running through the borders, trying to catch the scent of the intruder or Victoria. 

She didn't know her family would be back but she enjoyed the silence for now. She needed it.

She couldn't believe that Paul didn't want an imprint. It felt like he had been lying this whole time. The imprint bond may have made them get closer but over time the feelings Ashley developed weren't because of the bond, they were real. She really did love and trust Paul. And now learning that he never actually wanted her, it crushed Ashley.

After eating the leftovers her grandma left for her and watching an episode of a sitcom Ashley still didn't feel any better. She didn't know what to think or feel but the heaviness on her chest was making it harder.

Right then her phone started ringing for the hundredth time. With a sigh, Ashley grabbed it where she left it. As she stared at Paul's name on the phone the call soon went to voicemail. 

There was a total of 37 missed calls from Paul and 14 messages from him to call him back, that he could explain. Bella had also texted to make sure she was okay. After texting her a reply and asking to inform her family about her whereabouts her phone started ringing once more. 

Even if she desperately wanted to open the phone and hear Paul's voice she didn't. 

Twenty minutes later Ashley heard the heavy knocking on her door. She knew it wasn't anyone from her family, they'd just get in. Cautiously she walked toward the stairs. Since it was all glass she could see who it was.

It was Paul. 

When Paul spotted her he started saying her name. " Ashley! Baby, please open up!" Reluctantly Ashley opened the door. " Ashley, please let me explain," Paul started. " Look, when I first phased and found out everything in the legends was true I was shocked. I was overwhelmed. I was stupid. I didn't want to be bounded down to just one person for all my life. Seeing Sam and Jared the way they were with Emily and Kim made me uncomfortable. I couldn't understand how could someone devote themselves completely to another person," he said.

With every word, he said Ashley felt her already broken heartbreaking all over again.

" But, but then I saw you. My whole mind was changed. The second I laid my eyes on you my world changed. What I thought I knew, what I felt, it completely shattered. Only you stayed. Then I understood. I couldn't have imagined how having you would better my world, how it would make everything better. I was so stupid and blind to not believe in it. The truth is having you in my life, loving you, is the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said.

Then Paul gently grabbed Ashley's hand and put it on his chest, right above where his heart is supposed to be. " It is yours, it beats for you," he whispered and Ashley looked at him. There were tears in her eyes. 

Ashley pulled her hand back and turned around, trying to stop herself from completely breaking down in front of Paul. 

" Please, say something, anything," Paul whispered desperately.

" I, I just need time, alright? It's too much," Ashley replied. " Imagine how I'm feeling Paul, I found out you never wanted me, it feels like everything has been a lie," she continued.

" Ashley, we can make it up, just let me try, I promise, I'll make up for my stupid mistake," Paul pleaded but Ashley didn't respond. She really needed time to think it over.

" I know that means no mutt, go away," Suddenly a new voice said. When Ashley turned around she saw her parents standing protectively between her and Paul. Upon seeing them the sadness inside Paul's eyes turned to rage. " I don't take orders from you leech," he shot back as he took a step toward Emmett.

Ashley knew that if they didn't stop it'd end badly.

" Dad, stop!" Ashley pleaded, grabbing her father's arm and pulling him toward her. Then she looked at Paul. " Go, please, I'll call you later," she said. Paul looked between her and Emmett. After a deep breath, he turned around and walked out.

After watching him disappear into the woods Ashley turned to her parents with a sigh. " I'll be in my room," she said.

Moments after Ashley got in her room the door was softly knocked. Then Rosalie stepped in. " Edward kind of filled us in, would you like to talk about it?" she asked her daughter softly. In truth, Ashley was kind of happy she didn't need to say it out loud, just thinking about it made it hurt already.

She nodded and Rosalie sat across from her in the bed. " What are you feeling?" Rosalie asked. Ashley shrugged. " I don't know how I am supposed to be feeling. I'm hurt, even devastated to hear something like that, it makes me feel like everything we had was a lie, but then he said those things, I'm assuming you and dad heard it," Ashley replied. Rosalie nodded. " We heard it," she started, " To be honest baby I don't know what to say, there exactly isn't a book on what to do when your wolf boyfriend who imprinted on you reveals he didn't want an imprint in the first place," Rosalie said and Ashley scoffed.

" So, I'll just speak as a woman who went through heartbreak, and as a mother, men are stupid most of the time. They think that going around is all fun and being with the only person for the rest of your life is lame until they meet that one girl who turns their world upside down. I mean, look at every movie and book? Isn't it how it actually goes?" Rosalie asked her daughter. Ashley nodded. 

" Plus he was a teenager, god he still is. Teenagers make dumb things, people make dumb things. You need to stop taking into account of who someone used to be. If that were the case our family wouldn't be here. Not Edward, not me, not Jasper. It is obvious he has changed. That dumb teenager he used to be wouldn't come all this way over and tell you all those things if he didn't truly care for you," Rosalie said. Ashley took a deep breath.

" It's not the way he used to be mom, I'm over that, I don't even care about his past, I even told him that. What hurts is after he phased, after he found everything was true his mind was set on not wanting to imprint, not wanting me, I, I, look, he knew it was a possibility and he didn't want that, that hurts, even if he cares for me now there was a time where he didn't, I just, just don't know how or if I can get over that," Ashley said, some tears rolling down her face.

Rosalie sighed.

" Love is a losing game, Ashley. I'm not going to lie, loving, being in love, it almost always hurts. Whether you like it or not, it always does. I mean, just look at us. The situation our family is in is because of Edward and Bella's love. Because in essence, that's what life is, love. There is no life worth living without love. But nothing good happens without bad things happening. That's just the way it is. And sometimes that pain is worth for someone. Paul had an idea and he changed his mind. It happens. People change their minds all the time," Rosalie said.

" What are you saying, mom?" Ashley asked with a sigh.

" I'm saying that it all comes down to one thing, do you love him?" she slowly asked his daughter.

As if it was the dumbest question asked to her on Earth Ashley quickly answered. " I do, so much," Ashley answered. Rosalie smiled. " Then you know what to do from now on sweety, take a couple of days to make up your mind, no need to rush and know that whatever you decide I'll support you no matter," 

" Why are you doing this mom?" Ashley asked her mother. Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. " You setting up that date for me, talking to me to forgive him. I thought you hated him, what he is," she said. Rosalie smiled. " I do, I'm not going to lie to you, I can even go as far as to say that I loathe him but I love the way he makes you feel. Happy. The times you've been with him is the happiest you've been and that was all I ever wanted for you, to be happy. He makes you happy in a way neither I, nor your dad, or no else can," she said.

" I may not be your mother by blood but I am nonetheless and you are my daughter. And I never want to see you so sad and broken like you were in Ithaca. It was the worst thing I've ever lived through, seeing you like that Ashley. I don't want you feeling like that ever again," Rosalie breathed out. If she could tear up and cry she definitely would be doing that now. 

Ashley hugged her mom quickly. " I'm sorry you felt that way mom, I guess I was so focused on myself that I forgot to take into account of how you or dad or the family's been feeling," she said.

After her talk with her mom, Ashley felt better. It really did help to clear her mind. And also made her aware that she had been too focused on herself and her life for the past few months. She was part of a family and she wasn't thinking about them as she should have. 

Upon hearing other voices from outside she got that the rest of the family, minus Edward, Alice, and Jasper who were on Bella duty, had returned so she went to the living room, where her parents and grandparents were and spent time with them, cause God knew she was distanced for a while, until she went to sleep.


	19. Eighteen

The next day Edward was the one who woke Ashley up.

" If it were up to me I'd wait until you woke up on your own, however, there is someone waiting to see you," Edward had said. Ashley's mind quickly went to Paul but Edward shook his head. " Not him, same species though," he said.

Ashley put on some comfortable clothes as fast as she could and got ready in the quickest time possible. Edward didn't tell her who it was. Curiosity was killing her as she sped out of her room and to the living room where Edward told her the guest was waiting.

Up until the moment she walked into the living room Ashley had a theory of who it could be. Jared, Embry, Jacob, hell even Sam. But no, she was not expecting to find Leah Clearwater sat on the sofa looking uncomfortable as she eyed the place.

" Leah?" Ashley said in surprise. The female shifter's gaze immediately turned to her and she got up. " Ashley, hey, sorry to wake you up, it's just, I don't really have much time and I needed to talk to you," Leah said.

Ashley nodded. " Okay, it's not much of a problem, I was going to wake up soon," she replied. " It's actually four o'clock Ashley, you've slept for almost the whole day," Edward said. Ashley rolled her eyes as she turned to her uncle. " Thank you for the info Eddy boy, can you leave now? I feel like this is a private girls talk," she said. Edward chuckled quietly as he nodded and left. Then Ashley turned to Leah. " What did you want to talk about?"

" Look, I wasn't lying when I said what I said. When we are in our wolf form we can hear each other's thoughts and one time when I was patrolling with him and Jared he was thinking of you. And then Jared thought of the difference in him. How he didn't want to imprint before and how much he changed. Paul agreed. That's how I know it," Leah started. Ashley nodded but didn't say anything.

" I'm not going to say sorry if that's what you were expecting," Leah then said. " I wasn't expecting you to Leah, " Ashley replied. " Good, cause everyone expects me to," she said.

" You don't have to, you just said something you knew. It's between me and Paul," Ashley said and Leah nodded. " But I'm wondering why are you here, explaining it," Ashley continued and Leah sighed. " Because he's miserable and everyone's mad at me for saying something and I'm sick of it. I know they look at me like the freak I am and I do not need that pile getting bigger,"

" Leah, you're not a freak!" Ashley exclaimed and Leah rolled her eyes. " Yeah, just the first female in the tribe to shift, nothing big," she said and sighed, " I don't need your sympathy, this is my shit and I'll deal with it, just like I always do, I just want things to get better, God knows it's already like hell," she continued. " Why?" Ashley asked her and Leah looked somewhere else.

Ashley didn't know why she cared so much but seeing Leah like that, ever since she met her, it hurt Ashley. Leah had lost her father and then phased. She was the one who took care of the family, as far as Paul told her. Her mother was heartbroken and her brother was so young. With her joining the pack the amount of responsibility she had on her shoulders only got bigger. Plus, just like she had said, Leha was the first female shifter in the whole history of the tribe. Her little brother Seth phasing didn't help her at all as well.

In truth Ashley admired Leah. She was so strong. She had a lot to worry about yet she was standing against them, she was facing them without fear. At least that's how Ashley portrayed it.

Paul, Jared, and Emily told Ashley countless times that she was a part of the pack too, and Ashley really felt like that. Like the pack was her second family. And Leah was a part of that family as well. One of the most important things the Cullens taught Ashley was that family is important and that you always take care of it.

" Do you really care?" Leah scoffed. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. " Of course Leah, you're practically family to me," she answered and Leah was stunned. She clearly wasn't expecting that from Ashley. She wasn't expecting any sympathy or affection. Not from her, not from anyone.

Leah sighed. " How much do you know about the lives we used to have before any of us phased?" Leah asked Ashley. She shrugged. " Not much besides Paul was a hothead and a flirtatious bastard," she said. Leah nodded. " Yeah, well, I had a fiance," she started and Ashley gasped in surprise.

" I loved him very much, with all of my being. The day he asked me to marry him was the happiest in my life. Every moment we spend, every kiss we shared, it made me feel alive, made me feel like life was worth living," she said. " Then what happened? You are speaking in the past tense," Ashley pointed out and Leah sighed.

" Then, one day he just disappeared. Out of the blue. I couldn't reach him, his family wouldn't tell me anything. He was nowhere to be found. I was scared. Scared that something may have happened to him. Because everything was going so well with us so I didn't think it was due to our relationship. Ever since I was born I was really close with my cousin. We were practically like sisters. She was the first one to know about the engagement as well. So, naturally, when he disappeared and I couldn't reach him, my cousin came over. She was the only comfort I had," Leah continued.

" Did he die?" Ashley whispered. The story took a dark turn and Ashley didn't want to ask that question as if it was a normal topic. A sad smile covered Leah's face. " No, sometimes I wish he did though, certainly would make everything easier," she said and took a deep breath. " He imprinted on my cousin," Leah added.

Ashley was left breathless with the revelation. Leah was older than her. Older than most of the guys in the pack. Plus, so far only three of them had imprinted. Jared, Paul, and, Sam. Sam. It was him. Ashley gasped.

" Sam? You were engaged to him?" Ashley asked. Leah nodded. That made Emily, Leah's cousin.

Suddenly even more guilt and sadness covered Ashley. Now she understood why Leah was feeling the way she did. Why she seemed to hurt around Emily's house, why she was always sulking. Her life was more painful than Ashley knew. At that moment Ashley truly understood why Leah was hurting, that much.

" That's why I don't like imprinting that much. It took my fiance from me, it took my sister from me. Now I have to relive it every day in front of my face. That's why I said what I said. Because it ruined my life. Every bad thing that has happened to me started with that damn imprinting. And, of course, the universe really hates me that much that, no offense, even the guy who never wanted to imprint did and I still haven't, and I don't think that I ever will. My life will just get suckier with every new day and I'm just trying to deal with it," Leah said.

The two girls sat in silence for a while. " I'm really sorry," Ashley said, finally breaking the silence. Leah nodded. " Thank you," she said and both of them knew that she meant it genuinely.

Then Leah got up. " I need to go, the bonfire's starting in a few hours and I've gotta help my mom prepare the food," she said. Ashley nodded. They walked to the door, in silence. Then Ashley hugged Leah, tightly. " I really do hope you two will make up," Leah mumbled. Ashley bit her lip.

As Leah approached the woods Ashley watched her. " Anyway, don't be a stranger if anything happens, I'm sure the pack would still like to see you," Leah said Ashley nodded. " Sure, I'll keep that in mind,"

After Leah left, Ashley went back to the living room. Edward was there, he was laying on the couch. " How was the talk?" he asked her. Ashley smiled. " As if you don't know," she replied and Edward chuckled. " Sorry, just wanted to make sure you were safe," he replied.

Ashley rolled her eyes as she threw her boy next to Edward's. " Sure, it was only for that and not for the tea," she said. Edward chuckled again as he put both his hand in the air. " Yeah, maybe for that too,"

They spent a couple of good hours talking about what was on TV, bantered and spent time like before everything happened. Ashley realized she really had missed being like this with Edward. Her Edward. Her favorite uncle.

" You know, you did call me Eddy boy today," Edward mumbled. Ashley looked at her in confusion. " Since Bella's birthday, you haven't called me that, because you were rightfully angry at me. Today, you said it again, just like you used to," he added.

For a second Ashley forgot that he could read her mind and hear that she had missed him. She smirked. " Yeah, I guess I did," she said.

Then Edward sat up straight and got closer to Ashley. " Look, I know that I've said it before but Ashley, I am terribly sorry for the pain I've caused you. I'll be guilty for it for eternity. My intention was never to hurt you and I'm really sorry," he said. Ashley smiled. " I know Eddy boy, and, I forgive you," she said.

It was her first time saying that she forgave him. It was a surprise for Edward. Ashley did say that she was ready to forgive him, but not without a little bit of suffering and a few grand gestures. She was sure about the suffering part, she made sure of it. Her mother was Rosalie after all. And convincing her parents to end her situation of being grounded and setting up that date with Paul, they were grand gestures all right.

" And I think, if you can forgive me, you can forgive that dog of yours," Edward said. Ashley rolled her eyes at her uncle. " Really? You're really calling him my dog? He's a person you know," Ashley said and Edward just shrugged. " Tomato, tomato," he said and Ashley hit him.

" Fine, fine, let me rephrase. If you can forgive me maybe you can forgive your boyfriend whom you seem hopelessly in love with," he said. Ashley playfully glared at him. " I am hopelessly in love? Speak for yourself Eddy boy," she said. " And, I don't know if this is something to be forgiven. Like, I am not angry at him. If I'm not angry or mad, that means there's nothing to forgive. I'm just hurt. Heartbroken," Ashley said. " And he is sorry," Edward added.

" Personally, I've never liked the guy. Because of what he is. I won't go into detail, I'm sure you already know all of that. But you do like the guy. I always knew the day you would come. The classic teenage phase of you going out with someone we didn't approve of. I just didn't think it would happen under these circumstances," Edward said.

" From what I know, the guy's basically attached to you. He is like a virus that won't go away no matter what you do. So I've been trying to accept the fact that he is going to be around. Please, don't tell me my efforts have been for nothing," Edward said, the last part jokingly. Ashley knew that. He was saying it in a playful way but she understood how he truly felt.

She didn't expect her family to be suddenly okay with the whole ordeal but she knew they were trying. They had changed. It was little but still. They wanted Ashley's happiness, her happiness that Paul gave her and she was grateful for it.

" What do you think I should do?" Ashley asked her uncle. Edward shrugged. " Honestly, make him suffer a bit. He should really grasp how much he really cares about you. Sometimes those things can only be felt when you've ripped away from it," he said and Ashley knew he was speaking from experience. " Not that I'm claiming he does but he should understand that he shouldn't take you for granted," he added.

"Every time I think about him or even closely close something to it, it hurts. For the main reasons. Because it reminds me of how he used to think and because I miss him. So much. It's been a day and it feels like a hundred years. Even when I'm hurting I still miss him," Ashley said and Edward wore one of his faces that he had whenever he was talking about something serious.

" It's what happens when you're in love with someone," he said as he sighed long fully, " Even if that person you love hurts you that much that you no longer want to breathe you still miss them, still long for them," he added, " Love hurts, but I think that's what makes it that special. It's poetic, it's beautiful, to be hurt by the one you love the most,"

Ashley bit the insides of her cheeks. It all got so serious so fast.

" That was some Sheakspere shit right there Eddy, are you sure you're okay?" she asked. Edward glared at her then put on his usual goofy face he always had around Ashley. " Hey, you asked for my insight," he said and Ashley chuckled. " Yeah, I guess I have blame on that one,"

" Anyway, I think that the reason why you're so hurt is that everything happened too fast. I mean the first month in you knowing the guy you were already dating. I'm not judging or anything but I think you guys moved way too fast, even for the 2000's modern relationship ways. Maybe it was because your feelings were too intense but you haven't let it play out slowly and feel everything when you were supposed to. You became too invested. And after the gap you had, after that much time, you picked up where you left off and kept going at the same speed. With so many things and feelings happening in a really short period of time the revelation hit you harder than it would have. So, my advice is that take it slow this time. Make everything count, stop to feel things, know when and where you exactly start to feel the real things. I have a feeling you won't be able to stay away from him any longer, maybe a day or two tops, so, don't forget to be slow. Life won't slip away from your hands if you decide to slow down and enjoy it," Edward said and Ashley nodded.

She knew that too. The six months she spent without Paul was unbearable and painful enough. She never wanted to live like that again. And she never really thought of how fast they actually developed a relationship. Edward was right. Ashley wasn't regretting being with Paul but maybe she was regretting how fast everything happened.

" Thank you, really," Ashley mumbled as she shifted from her space on the couch and more toward Edward. She laid on his chest as he put an arm around her and started to play with her hair.

One thing that made Ashley fall asleep just like that was someone playing with her hair. It was a useful thing, especially when she was around 5 or 6 and wouldn't want to go to sleep and keep on playing with Edward. Although she'd never admit it not to upset her family but whenever her mom or Edward did it, it had the best effect. She would fall asleep in minutes.

A couple of hours later the family returned home. They found Ashley sleeping on Edward and him watching the TV silently. " So I'm guessing you two finally made up?" Emmett asked. Edward smiled as he nodded. " Yeah, I guess you could say that," he replied. Alice clapped her hands slowly as a huge smile covered her face. " I knew it! I saw it happening but I wasn't sure when!"

Ashley woke up from her nap about an hour later. Even though she wasn't physically tired she was mentally tired. Not only the thing with Paul but the conversation she had with her mother and Leah took a toll on her. She became aware of some things she wasn't before.

After waking up she found her parents and Alice and Jasper in the living room. Her grandparents and Edward were on Bella duty for tonight, so they left to go hunting. Ashley knew Bella was at the bonfire tonight so the three Cullens would feed until she came back.

Ashley joined in on the conversation the adults were having. " I'm thinking of throwing a graduation party for Ashley and Bella," Alice excitedly said. " It's their first and only time doing it, well, at least for Ashley, and I want to make it count!" she continued.

" That seems like a good idea," Rosalie murmured. They, usually headed by Alice, threw parties for almost anything Ashley had accomplished. Her birthdays, minus this year's, were always a blast.

However this time Alice had something different in mind. A house party, for all of the seniors of Forks High. Just especially for Ashley Cullen and Bella Swan. As soon as she said it confusion covered Rosalie's face. " What? You mean humans? In here?" Rosalie asked in disbelief.

Alice chuckled. " Of course, it's time we shake things up a bit Rose," she said. Rosalie huffed. " You know, in times like these I'm sure you lost your mind, Alice," she said. " Well, I'll just say that it's a bold move Alice, good one," Emmett said, smirking.

As Alice talked more about the importance of the party, how it was a tradition for the seniors to go to a graduation party, and stuff and Ashley needed to experience it Rosalie was convinced. Plus, all of them except for Carlisle and Esme would be there, in case of any threat. You couldn't have thrown a party with your 'parents' in the house.

After some small talk about the party, Jasper offered to do something else. They ended up playing Monopoly. It was the only game Emmett was least likely to cheat, although that didn't stop him. They played it until 2 am when everyone was fed up with Emmett's cheating and Ashley went to sleep.


	20. Nineteen

Three days later the situation in Seattle got more serious. Ashley heard her family talking about a possible trip to Seattle to settle the situation.

Meanwhile, whenever Bella wasn't with the wolves, she was with the Cullens and Ashley was usually around. They talked about things in general, about school, about Paul, Edward, and Jacob.

Ashley had a theory that Jacob was into Bella. Although Bella said that she only saw him as a friend and nothing else Ashley still had her doubts. In an effort to change the topic Bella told her that every time she was over there everyone would ask her about Ashley except for Paul. He would just look at her as if he was expecting answers. Hearing that broke Ashley's heart.

The next day Bella invited Ashley to La Push. She was already going there and based on their previous talks, she got that Ashley wanted to go as well but needed a little push. Truthfully, Ashley wanted to jump at the offer. But she was also anxious. She didn't know what to do once she saw him. How she'd approach him.

Bella thought that once she'd seen him she'd know what to do but Ashley couldn't be sure. She didn't want to show up without knowing what she wanted or not knowing what to say and confusing the situation more and hurting both sides.

Reluctantly Ashley agreed on going. So Bella called Jacob to find out whether Paul had any plans for the afternoon. Luckily, he had been patrolling for the past four days, basically keeping himself busy with work as Jacob put it, so Sam had given him the day off.

Ashley informed her parents that she'd be going down to Rez with Bella after school. Rosalie let her go but not without a smirk. After she left her parents' side she went by Edward and Bella. " I must admit, you've held on longer than I thought you would," Edward said and Ashley rolled her eyes. " Sorry to disappoint," she mumbled back to her uncle but he chuckled. " Hey, not that I'm complaining about it you know,"

The day went by quickly, much to Ashley's dismay. She still felt unprepared, to see him, to talk to him. She missed him. That was sure. It felt like months or years in the last few days. She just didn't want to take a wrong step and shit on the situation even more.

When they entered La Push, Ashley had started giving the direction to Paul's house to Bella. They were in her truck. Each second where Ashley knew they were getting closer her heart was beating a bit faster. There was this uneasy yet chilling feeling at her stomach. Then, they arrived.

" Thanks for the ride," Ashley mumbled to her friend. Bella nodded as she offered a friendly smile. " I hope everything works out between you two," she said. Ashley nodded, looking at the house. He was in there.

After that Ashley slowly got out of the car and walked to the door. Bella was long gone so even if she gave up there was no way she could go anywhere else. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

Ashley heard some grunting from inside then the sound of footsteps approaching. A man who looked like Paul was standing at the door. He was obviously older, shorter and a bit fatter than Paul. " Uhm, hello?" Ashley said, unsure of herself. She was sure she was at the right house but she had never seen this man before.

" Hello, who are you?" The man asked Ashley. " I'm Ashley, uhm, Paul's," Ashley started but the man interrupted her. " Oh, so you're the Ashley I keep hearing so much about," he said. Ashley nodded. " Come in, please," he said as he took a step aside to make room for Ashley.

The man made Ashley sit one of the stools by the kitchen as he opened the fridge to take a beer. " I'm Jay," he said. Ashley smiled. " Nice to meet you Mr. Lahote," she said politely. Jay smiled. " No need to call me Mr.Lahote, just call me Jay. By the way, Ashley, I haven't seen you around here before," he said.

" Uh, yeah, that's because my family lives in Forks. It's easier for my dad to get to the hospital," she said. Jay furrowed his eyebrows. " My dad he's a doctor at the hospital. Maybe you know him, Carlisle Cullen?" Ashley quickly said. She didn't know whether Jay Lahote was aware of the supernatural world and she was not risking it.

" Oh, so you're one of Dr.Cullen's kids? He saved a buddy of mine not long ago, we had an accident on a fishing trip. Give him my best please," he said. Ashley smiled and nodded but she wondered where Paul was. Jacob had told Bella that Paul was at his home, taking the day off.

" You're wondering where he is?" Jay asked her. As blood rushed to her cheeks Ashley nodded. " He's taking a nap. I don't know why but for the past week he has been tiring himself out. He doesn't talk to me when he's home. Would you like me to wake him up?" he asked her again.

Ashley bit the insides of her cheek. " I really don't want to bother him," she replied and Jay chuckled. " I'm sure it will cause no harm, I heard him mutter your name in his sleep, I'm sure he'd like to see you too," he said. Ashley didn't respond, she was too busy thinking about what Jay said.

" You know what? I already need to go work, I won't be home for a couple of days as usual, why don't you tell that to him when he wakes up?" Jay said, sensing Ashley's uncomfortableness. Ashley nodded and in five minutes Jay was gone.

As if Jay did that on purpose he closed the door harshly, making a lot of noise and then the engine of his car roared, enough to wake someone up.

" Oh god! I told you to stop making so much noise when I'm sleeping!" A shout came from Paul's bedroom and then the sound of moving. As Ashley was standing inside the house Paul stormed off from his bedroom only to be confronted by her. " Ashley?" he asked in disbelief, his shout turning into a whisper now. " Hey," Ashley said. Both of them could feel the awkwardness in the air. " So, uhm, I met your dad, he seems nice,"

A couple of minutes later Paul and Ashley were sat on the couch, facing each other. Ashley didn't know what to say so she was sitting in silence waiting for him to speak up. Luckily, he did. " You haven't called," he said slowly.

" Yes, because I was still trying to comprehend everything that went down," Ashley replied. Paul nodded. " But you're here now, does that mean you're over it now?" he asked her. Ashley took a deep breath. " Yes," she said and Paul's eyes shined as a smile covered his face. " I've missed you too much. Even when it was hurting too much I still missed you," Ashley said.

" I missed you too much as well, god, Ashley, I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am that you're here now," he said and immediately hugged her. Ashley felt like she was okay for the first time in a week when Paul's large arms covered her body and he was all she could think about.

After their long hug ended Ashley sighed loudly before speaking up. " I've talked to my mom and uncle in this past week and there are some things that I'd like to talk about, if that's okay," she said slowly and Paul nodded. " Of course babe, whatever you want," he replied. " Before I start, just know that I love you, okay?"

" Over the past week, I finally made up with my Uncle Edward. Surprisingly he and my mom were the most persistent ones to help me get over this. Anyway, while we were talking about the whole thing I asked him why I was still missing you so much even when it was hurting like hell. He then told me that maybe it affected me so much because everything happened so fast. We happened so fast. He pointed out that not long after we met we started dating and after we came back we picked up where we left off. I don't regret being with you, not in the slightest but maybe I am regretting we haven't taken time to fully feel each other. Like, I know we are not normal people, things are supposed to be different but everyone else in our world seems to get it down right, so I'd like to try that," Ashley said.

" You want to take things slow?" Paul said after some time. Ashley nodded. " I'm told that if we stop to feel things life won't slip away from our hands, I want that, so, yes, I'd like to take things slow for a while,"

" Maybe your bloodsu-, uhm, uncle, has a point, I get it. Ever since I first met you I was overwhelmed by you. You consumed me, in a good way. Maybe we got too caught up in the excitement," Paul said.

After that the two instantly got to talking, it was an easy transition. Their connection was still there and hours passed by before they realized it.

" So, uhm, this Friday is my graduation and my aunt is throwing a graduation party for me and Bella. The whole school is invited to it. Bella is inviting Jacob and I was thinking if you would like to come as well?" Ashley asked reluctantly.

Sure they made up but she wasn't sure how Paul would feel being in the house with five vampires. Plus, the last time he'd seen any of them, to Ashley's knowledge, it didn't go pretty.

Ashley would want Paul at her graduation but she knew he had his own graduation to attend to.

" I would love to come, baby, if that's alright with you, you know, for taking things slow," he said. Ashley nodded. "Sure, you're still my boyfriend, after all, I want you there," she said.

After spending about an hour together the couple decided to go to Emily's, Ashley had missed the pack too. They decided to walk there. On the way, Ashley decided to share her theory about Bella and Jacob with Paul.

" Oh, I so agree, it's unbearable, Bella this, Bella that," Paul exclaimed. "Like sometimes I want to shout 'Dude, she rejected you! Get over it!' but I decide not tot because then he'd get all up in my ass," he added. Ashley giggled. "Is it really that bad?" she asked. Paul rolled his eyes. "You have no clue,"

When they reached Emily's house there were only Emily, Leah, Jared and Seth. Sam, Quil, and Embry were patrolling. Emily was cooking some food for the pack and the rest were sitting outside.

" Look what the wolf dragged in," Jared grinned as he saw Paul and Ashley walking towards them. "Hey, Jared, good to see you," Ashley said with a smile. Then she turned to Leah. "Hey," she said. Leah gave her a quick smile. "Hey," she mumbled. "I'm glad you're back," she added.

Paul looked between the two females then furrowed his brows. "Shall we go in?" he asked at the end. Seth nodded. "Yeah, Emily's not letting us touch the stuff she cooked but maybe if she sees Ashley she might change her mind,"

" You know what? Great idea, kid," Jared said as they all got up to go inside the house. Ashley couldn't help but put a smile over her face, she really loved the pack. It was like her family. Her second one and she felt as comfortable and safe as she did with the Cullens.

Expectedly, Emily was over the moon to see Ashley, she knew that Paul and she would pull through, they always did, and she saw each boy as of a little brother and seeing the couple together and happily filled her heart with warmness.

Now that Ashley knew Leah's story she could grasp the awkwardness between the two cousins better and she'd like to do something about it, the pack, Emily, Leah, they'd all helped her and they were family, and Leah told her that she and Emily use to be so close which made Ashley want to fix up everything between them.

As chatter and jokes were flying inside the house, everyone stopped once they heard the ongoing quarrel coming outside.

" Bella, Bella! Listen, please! Let me explain!" Jacob exclaimed. Leah rolled her eyes as all of them got up to go outside. " I wonder how many more problems he's going to bring to us," she huffed.

Bella was holding her right hand and she seemed in agony. Jacob was following her like a hurt little puppy but she wasn't listening. " Ashley," she exclaimed once she spotted her friend. She wasn't talking to Jacob and she needed to get out of there. " I can't drive, can we get out of here?"

Ashley rushed to her friend. "What happened?" She asked in concern. Edward was probably going to freak out. Bella shook her head. "I'll explain later, can we go now?" she pleaded. Ashley looked at her friend than to Jacob with his sad puppy eyes then back to her friend. "Sure,"

"Wait," Jacob stopped them. " Bella's truck is a hard one and I doubt Ashley has ever had to drive that kind of a car, I should drive you," he said. Ashley rolled her eyes at the comment and Bella huffed. "Well, it's the least you could do," Bella spat.

Paul wasn't an idiot, he kind of figured out Bella's injury was caused by Jacob and he knew Bella's bloodsucker would throw a fit once he'd figure it all out. By this point, he knew they'd never hurt Ashley but he just wanted to be there, just to make himself feel better. He'd rather be there than to regret it later, so he tagged along.

The ride back was silent and awkward as much as it could get.

Jacob was driving and Paul was sitting next to him. The girls were in the back seat. "Oh, great," Ashley mumbled when her phone vibrated for the thousandth time. "Eddy's having a moment," she added as she took out her phone and the two girls eyed all the calls and messages from Edward. " I don't even want to take a look at mine," Bella groaned.

As soon as Jacob pulled up to the Swan driveway and they got out of the car, a shiny black one sped down from the road. It was Edward.

He stopped the car with a sudden brake and jumped out. He was really angry as he used his speed to run to Jacob and grab him by the collar of his shirt, not caring if the humans around could see him or not.

" Edward!" Bella and Ashley yelled at the same time but his focus was on Jacob. " If you EVER, touch her against her will again," he started shouting, but Bella cut him off. "Don't do this here," she said, trying to come between the two of them.

" She's not sure what she wants," Jacob spat. "Let me give you a clue, WAIT for her to say the words," Edward said sharply meanwhile Bella kept saying 'Don't do this here'. "Fine, and she will," Jacob said.

Ashley was standing close to the whole thing, she wanted to intervene but Paul had held her back. He was ready if either Edward or Jacob would get physical and he would be there to protect Ashley.

" Jacob! Just go, okay?" Bella pleaded. Both he and Edward were looking at each other, almost as if they were killing each other by looking. Ashley felt her hands getting cold with all the adrenaline, she didn't want to think about the worst-case scenario but it felt like it would turn to that any second.

" Hey, hey, hey! Easy, guys. Hey!" Charlie exclaimed as he got out of the house and rushed to where the teenagers were standing. "Let's take it down a notch, all right?" he said as he broke Edward and Jacob apart. They were still looking at each other with hate and anger but both seemed to be out of the mood they were just in.

Charlie looked between the two of them. "What's going on?" he calmly asked. Edward gave Jacob a look that said 'Explain it,' and Jacob sighed. " I kissed Bella," he said. It took Charlie a second and a confused look to digest the whole thing. "And she broke her hand," Jacob added.

Then Charlie's attention went to Bella and specifically Bella's hand that she was holding. "Punching my face," Jacob mumbled again. Bella gave her father a pleading look. " Total misunderstanding," Jacob said as he looked at Charlie.

Charlie looked between the two of them and sighed. " Yeah, sure, total misunderstanding, kid," he said. Then he turned around and saw Paul and Ashley. He put his hand up to his forehead for a second as he started thinking.

" Paul, you're Paul, right?" he asked. Paul nodded. "Great, can you calm down your friend while I have a talk with Bella and then I can drive you, two boys, back to the reservation? Ashley, can you call your father to ask if he'd be willing and available to take a look at Bella's hand?"

As Charlie dragged Bella into the house and Paul dragged Jacob toward the trees, Ashley was left alone with Edward. "I'm calling grandpa," she mumbled. Edward was still looking toward the wolf, giving them glares.

Gladly, Carlisle accepted to look at Bella. She, Ashley and Edward went back to the Cullen house as Chief Swan gave a ride to Jacob and Paul. They both insisted that it wasn't necessary but Charlie rejected, saying with all the bear attacks that have been happening he wanted to make sure they got home. Plus, that lost kid, Riley Byers, he was kind of around the boy's ages and he didn't want anything like that happening to those boys.

"It's just a sprain, it should heal fairly quickly," Carlisle said smiling as he put a bandage on Bella's hand. Edward was standing next to them and Ashley was sitting at the table. Rosalie was behind them, sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper.

Then her father and uncle Jasper walked in. "Trying to walk and chew gum at the same time again, Bella?" her father asked with a smirk. Bella and Ashley scoffed as they smiled. " I punched a werewolf in the face," Bella replied. Ashley looked at her father, "No, she punched Jacob in the face,"

"Badass," Emmett commented as he laughed. " You're gonna be one tough little newborn," he added. As soon as her father spoke, Ashley looked at her mother. She was looking at the two of them and she did not look happy.

" Tough enough to take you on," Bella replied back with a smirk to Emmett. With that, Rosalie threw the newspaper to the table that was across from her and stormed off, toward the balcony. Everyone looked after her as she went out.

" Don't worry about it," Emmett softly said and Bella nodded. Then Edward turned to Jasper. "Got any leads?" he asked. "No sign of intruder," Jasper replied as Bella looked at where Rosalie went and Ashley saw it. "But Victoria continues to make appearances," he added.

While Jasper spoke Bella got up. She was walking toward the balcony but Ashley got in her way. " You know what? I'll talk to her," she said but Bella shook her head. "No, thanks Ashley, but I think this is a conversation that's long overdue," she replied.

Ashley sighed as she looked at her mother and her friend. " Fine, your choice," she mumbled she said and got out of Bella's way. As Bella went out toward the balcony Ashley walked to her family. " I think that'll be a private talk, why don't we give them some space?"

They nodded and started walking away. Emmett put his arm around Ashley's shoulders and pulled her to his side. "So sweetheart, meanwhile, tell us, did you heard back from any of the universities you've applied to?"


	21. Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the end note when you finish :)

After the whole thing, the days went by quickly. The graduation was upon them.

Before the day of Graduation and the after-party that Alice was putting up for the girls since she wanted it to be a surprise for Ashley and Bella, she sent them over to the Swan house to spend the night there.

Up until the point where they fell asleep they talked or gossiped about various events.

Bella told Ashley about how it all happened with Jacob, all the things he said. Ashley teased her and said that her theory was proven right. Bella had rolled her eyes and jokingly hit her. Then she told Ashley about the conversation she had with her mother.

Ashley nodded. " I'm surprised she told you, it's a hard time for her to get back to, considering everything she went through," Ashley said. Bella bit her lip. " I get it, I'm surprised too but it really helped me put things into perspective, why she acts the way she does, it makes sense," she said.

" Although I think she did get her wishes when she had you, I mean, she told me her dream was to sit in a front porch with Emmett by her side, both gray-haired and their grandchildren running around, even though she won't get old and get grey hair I think the rest of her dream can come true," she added.

Ashley sighed. "I know, believe me, I want her to be happy. I know that the stuff she went through was incredibly hard and she wants me to have the best life, especially because she couldn't but also because she's my mom. I know we're not really related but she's my mom, you know? She cared for me for all those years, loved me. She really is my mother and in exchange for all she's done for me, I want to live a full life of happiness, just like she has always wished for me,"

Bella nodded at her friend. "Yeah, I think so, although I think your biggest problem is to find a groom that she won't scare away, or possibly kill," Bella joked and Ashley laughed. "Yeah, but I kinda think we got that covered,"

Then the conversation switched over to a subject that was bound to be talked about on a teenage girl's sleepover, boys.

Bella told Ashley about Edward's marriage proposal to her and Ashley lost her mind. "He did WHAT?" she exclaimed and as Bella nodded she couldn't contain her laughter. "Oh my god, I mean, I knew he was an old soul and all that, but marriage? Jesus, you've just turned eighteen Bells," Ashley said.

Bella nodded. "I know, but he says it's his condition for turning me, he says he wants me to experience most if not all the human experiences a human should go through before I turn," she said. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. "And that is marriage?" she asked.

" I mean when you turn you guys will have an eternity to get married, hell, you can do it multiple times, look at my parents or aunt Alice and Uncle Jasp or my grandparents. My parents renew their vows every twenty-five years and then go on a honeymoon and all that," Ashley added.

" Really?" Bella asked and Ashley nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad they do, vampire or not, believe me when I say this, you do not want to be around my parents when they get all romantic and shit," she said and both girls burst into laughter.

Then Ashley asked Bella what the marriage meant and all the 'human experiences' Bella should go through which landed the topic on sex. " No, he won't go further than kissing, he says he wants to be married to me when we do it," Bella said.

Ashley took a deep breath. " I don't even care that he's my uncle when I'm saying this, that boy needs to get laid, ASAP, we're living in 2000s, no one waits for marriage to have sex, they wait for the right time and the right person, being married to someone doesn't automatically make it right," Ashley said.

Bella sighed. " I know, I agree but he doesn't and I need to respect his wishes, so, I guess I'll wait," she said, then she turned to Ashley with a sinister smile. " Does that mean, uhm, you and Paul, you know?" she smirked.

Ashley shook her head. "God, no! Uhm, we haven't yet," she said. " There has been too much stuff going on, we never had the time and I want it to be natural when it's the right time, you know?" she asked her friend. Bella nodded. "Yeah, I get it, plus I think that's how both Edward and I want it to happen too, I guess," she said.

" Yeah, and, I don't know, Paul and I, we talked, and I asked him to slow things down a notch, you know, so much happened and we tried to act as if nothing happened and moved too fast, my hopelessly in love uncle Eddy gave me great advice about it actually and, I don't know, we'll see," Ashley explained.

Then they talked about the university applications, the ones they heard back from. Bella got an acceptance from the University of Alaska Southeast, and even though she didn't want to attend a university that'd be a good cover for her once she was turned. However, Edward wanted to hear back from Dartmouth, given if she got accepted it might be a delay.

Ashley had almost applied to all good schools in Washington but following her parents' advice, she also applied to the schools with better architecture programs. And, most of them happened to be far away from Forks. Most of them were either in New York or Texas.

Plus, since the time they spent on Ithaca, she fell in love with the program at Cornell University. It was roughly a five-hour distance between Cornell and Dartmouth and if she and Bella went there then the family wouldn't have to fall apart much. The family could live in Hanover, Ashley would move into the dorms of the university and they'd be able to see each other on weekends and holidays.

But, it would be to away from Forks, which meant that it was too far away from Paul.

And Ashley still hadn't heard from those schools so it still wasn't decided. After that, the girls talked for about an hour before eventually falling asleep.

" When we were five, they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our answers were things like astronaut, president, or in my case, princess. When we were ten, they asked us again, we answered rock star, cowboy, or in my case, a gold medalist. But now that we're grown up, they want a serious answer. Well, how about this? 'Who the hell knows?' This isn't the time to make hard-and-fast decisions, this is the time to make mistakes, take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere. Fall in love, a lot. Major in philosophy, because there's no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind, and change it again, because nothing's permanent. So, make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask what we want to be we won't have to guess. We'll know,"

Jessica gave an amazing graduation speech. It was funny and it was true. Ashley felt like it was a great way to finish high school and start her new life with Jessica's anecdotes. Although she could see the change in Bella on some parts about the speech she felt like it was a talk for later.

Her whole family was there.

Granted her parents, uncles and aunt were 'graduating' with her and her grandparents were there to see 'all of their children' to graduate, it was a remarkable moment for Ashley. She had attended other graduations of her family when she was little, but now that she was with them, and she was graduating from high school for real, it was exciting.

When the principal called her name her family was the loudest to clap and cheer as Ashley couldn't help but blush and smile.

Once the ceremony was over Alice dragged Ashley and started to take a million photos. With her parents, with her uncles, grandparents, the whole family, Bella, her human friends. By the time Alice decided it was enough Ashley was sure the memory card was full.

" Ashley, honey, we're so proud of you!" Rosalie exclaimed as she hugged her daughter properly. Then her dad hugged both she and her mom, even lifting them to air a bit. " I can't believe you're all grown up now, wow," Emmett exclaimed.

"Emmett, buddy, slow down with the excitement, people can still hear us," Jasper commented quietly, but he was happy too. The Cullens graduated from high school all the time, but this was a special one, and one they'd never forget.

The party was on.

Since the Cullens were the mysterious bunch of the school, actually almost the whole town, everyone was excited to see their house. No one wasted time coming over to the party.

There was energetic music playing in the background, good decorations, party food, and drinks. Alice really did go all out. Teenagers were everywhere, dancing, talking, or checking the house out.

Ashley was with Jessica and Angela when Bella finally showed up. The girls hugged Bella. "Yay! You made it!" Angela exclaimed. Bella smiled and nodded. "Hey! So, what did you guys think about my speech?" Jessica immediately asked.

" Too easy-breezy? Too self-helpful? You hated it?" She followed up. Bella shook her head. "No, I think you pretty much nailed it," she replied. " Finally, thanks Bella, she's been asking that to everyone and just can't seem to understand she did amazing," Ashley said as she rolled her eyes playfully.

Jessica giggled. " Okay, okay, I know, it's like I was born to lead, right?" she asked. The girls smiled and nodded as Angela jumped with excitement. "Ugh, I love this song! Let's go," she said and dragged Jessica back to the dance floor.

Ashley turned to Bella. "I know right? It's crazy," she said and Bella nodded. "Yeah, uhm, I never thought I'd see your house, this, uhm, crowded," she mumbled as she looked around. Ashley nodded. "Yeah, it's strange, but auntie made it for us, so we should try to have fun," she replied.

" You're right, she did all this work for us, the least we could do is maybe try the food and the drinks?" Bella asked Ashley. She nodded and then they made their way to the table. "Where's your family by the way? I haven't seen any of them since I came," Bella said.

" Oh, well, uncle Jasp went hunting a couple of hours ago, to you know, be comfortable. Auntie is getting ready, she wants to have a grand entrance or something, I don't really know. My parents were checking to see if anything's spiked or not and Eddy was brooding in his room. No one, except for auntie, is really particularly happy about everyone here so they're trying not to get the mood down I guess, oh and also, my grandparents are in their room away from all the teenagers," Ashley explained.

Bella nodded as she ate some of the things on the table. She was looking around when Ashley handed her a cup. "Who are you looking for?" Ashley asked her. Bella shrugged. "Uhm, Jacob," she admitted. "I invited him, before all the stuff and now I wonder if he's going to show up, you know since you invited Paul and all," she said.

Ashley bit her lip. "Oh, yeah, uhm, I don't know, Paul didn't tell me anything about it, but he texted me saying he was on his way and he's pretty close, so I guess we'll see soon," she said. Bella nodded uncomfortably.

Right then, as if it was the cue, four guys with black t-shirts and short hair walked into the house, looking around. Jacob was the first one to spot the girls and as they made their way, the girls left the food and the drinks back on the table.

As soon as Paul saw Ashley his face lighted up.

Paul grabbed Ashley and gave her a kiss on the cheek while the remaining four people looked at each other awkwardly. "What are you doing here?" Bella asked and ended the silence. Ashley looked at Paul than to the two of them.

"Okay, I guess that's our cue, have fun," she said as she grabbed Paul's hand and dragged them away. She could feel they were going to have a conversation and she didn't want to be there for a couple of reasons. She didn't want her mood to get down, she wanted to have fun with Paul and she knew it wasn't her business so she wasn't going to stick her nose in it.

"Good call babe, I didn't wish to be in the middle of the drama," Paul said. Ashley smiled in response. "By the way, I know we haven't talked about it, but I got you a present," Paul whispered to her ear since they were by the speakers and it was hard to hear.

"What?" Ashley said, signaling she didn't hear anything so Paul made them walk the other way. They ended up in Ashley's room. " First time in your house and you've already gotten me to your bedroom," Paul joked and Ashley rolled her eyes.

She crossed her arms, "What were you saying?" she asked. "Oh," Paul said as he took something out of his pocket. "I couldn't help myself, today was a big day, and I felt to give you something, I know that your family probably got you way nicer stuff than this but I wanted to be a part of it," he said.

"Paul," Ashley said as Paul placed the necklace on her hand. It was a crescent moon. " It's a moon, you know, like representing me, but also your family, since vampires are associated with coming out at night and all, anyway, I love you, for who you are, and you are a part of them and I didn't want you to hide it or be uncomfortable without it so I got this for you so it kind of represents the two parts of you, you know?" he explained quickly.

Ashley looked at the necklace and then back at Paul being speechless.

" Oh, you hate it, right? I shouldn't have done it, Quil and Embry said it was too much, but no, I went there, it's too soon, oh god, uhm, well, it was that one time when I should've listened to those idiots," Paul started rambling but Ashley chuckled and shut him up by kissing him.

The truth was, Ashley loved the necklace. It was beautiful and elegant. Ashley knew that it was Paul's way of telling her he was okay with everything, that her family were vampires, his sworn enemies. It meant everything to her.

"Paul, I love it," she said once they ended the kiss. A stupid grin appeared on his face. "Yeah?" he asked. Ashley nodded. "Yeah, and I love you," she replied. " I love you," Paul said and leaned forward to kiss Ashley.

As their kiss started to get heated Ashley's door was knocked heavily, causing them to part. "Yo, wolf boy, get out of there now, we gotta talk,"

It was Emmett.

" Oh my god," Ashley whispered, it was her dad. Usually, it would only be phone calls, but no, now he was on the other side of the door, which he could break easily and he was a vampire so he heard everything. It was embarrassing.

Once they opened the door Ashley could swear her cheeks were red as a tomato. Her parents were on the other side of the door. Her dad looked kind of mad and her mother's face was unreadable.

"Okay, I'm not going to comment on what was happening here, yet, because something came up and we need to talk," Emmett said as he eyed Paul. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean something came up dad?"

Emmett rolled her eyes. " Alice had a vision, everyone's upstairs, including the rest of the, uhm, wolfs," he said. It didn't take long for them to go to where the rest of the family and wolves were.

When they entered the room Alice was telling everyone about her vision. " They'll be here in four days," Alice said. Carlisle was walking up and down in worry. "This could turn into a bloodbath," he commented as he leaned to the table Bella and Edward were sitting on.

" Wait, what could turn into a bloodbath?" Ashley asked as they walked inside and stood between Edward and Quil. Her parents were on her left side and Paul was on her right side. " Seattle," Edward murmured to her and Ashley nodded.

Then Edward turned to Alice. " Who's behind it?" he asked. " I didn't see anyone I recognized, maybe one, "Alice said. Edward furrowed his eyebrows. "I know his face, he's local, Riley Biers," he paused, "He didn't start this," he added.

While the two were talking the wolfs were looking at them, trying to figure out the situation. "Whoever did, is staying out of the action," Alice replied. "They must be playing with the blind spots in your vision," Carlisle said. "Either way, the army's coming, and there aren't enough of us to protect the town," Jasper interjected, looking at his family.

That was the breaking point of the wolves, they were listening to the conversation, trying to follow it but there was too much unknown information. "Hold up, what damn army?" Jacob breathed out in frustration.

" Newborns, our kind," Carlisle was fast to reply. "What are they after?" Embry asked. Jasper looked at Alice as she took a deep breath before answering. " They were passing around Bella's scent, a red blouse," Alice replied, immediately earning a look from Bella.

Things were starting to fall into their pieces.

"They're after Bella? What the hell does this mean?" Jacob asked, fully facing the Cullens. "It means an ugly fight, with lives lost," Carlisle answered. With his answer, all the wolfs exchanged a look.

" All right, we're in," Jacob said. Bella was fast to reject it. "No, you'd get yourselves killed, no way," she spat. " I wasn't asking for permission," Jacob shot back. "Edward?" Bella pleaded. He looked at him then back to Bella. "It means more protection for you,"

Carlisle turned to Paul. He knew from Bella and Ashley that Paul had a higher position within the pack. "Paul, do you believe Sam would agree to an understanding?" he asked. Paul looked at Ashley, her parents than to his brothers and finally looked at Carlisle. " As long as we get to kill some vampires," he replied.

" Jasper?" Carlisle said turning toward him. Jasper looked at the wolfs up and down. " They'll give us the numbers, newborns won't know they even exist, that'll give us an edge," he said. Carlisle nodded. " We'll need to coordinate," he said.

Bella stood up and walked in Carlisle's way. "Carlisle, they're gonna get hurt," she said. "We'll all need some training," he replied and turned to the wolves. "Fighting newborns requires knowledge that Jasper has, you're welcome to join us," he offered.

Jacob nodded. " All right, name the time and place," he said. " Jake, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Bella said, directly looking at Jacob. "Bella," Jacob started but Paul couldn't take it anymore, so he interrupted.

" Look, I don't care what you think of us or how much you uplift your precious vampires but we, we can take care of ourselves, hell, we can do more than that. Our tribe has survived years thanks to people like us and we're not afraid. We're not just some useless puppies that run around, you've never seen us in action and you don't know what the hell you're talking about so I suggest you shut the fuck up. We don't your or anyone else's permission to fight vampires, especially if it's on our land. This is what we do, who we are, so suck it up," he exclaimed.

Everyone was taken aback by his sudden outburst but really, who could blame him?

If the wolves weren't as strong as they claimed to be, how could their tribe survive for so long? How could they take down Laurent? How did they take down countless vampires in the past? They were who they were for a reason and even the Cullens knew that that's why they always thought of them as possible threats.

Bella gulped, not being able to respond to Paul. She looked at Edward and then to Ashley for some help. Ashley sighed and took a step forward, lightly touching Paul's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

" You should be happy, Bella, look at us, all working together, you are the one who wanted us to get along, remember?" Jacob smirked to Bella. Ashley sighed at Jacob and turned around. She and Paul went back downstairs.

" My party mood's all down now," she mumbled. Paul grabbed her hand and turned her around. " I know, babe, I'm sorry," he said. Ashley shrugged. "It's not your fault, it's not like you are the one bringing all of this upon us,"

They got to the party but it was still crowded and full of teenagers so they went to the one place she was sure no one else was, the garage. "Wow," Paul had exclaimed once they got in, eyeing all the cars.

" I know, I know," Ashley mumbled as she hopped on to the counter. Paul nodded as he turned to his girlfriend. "Sorry, just never this many cars together in real life," he said. Ashley smiled. "It's okay," she replied.

Then she put her hand inside her pocket and pulled the necklace out. " Can you put it on me?" she asked. Paul nodded and she turned her back to him. He carefully put on the necklace then he sighed. "What do you think?" he finally asked.

Ashley furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?" she asked. Paul shrugged, "You know, the whole battle thing, aren't you freaked out? Or what I said to Bella, aren't you mad?" he asked. Ashley sighed.

" I think I'm getting used to the idea of both of my families fighting, plus I knew uncle Jasper's history, and if someone is attacking us it's only logical to fight back if the enemy only understands violence. Also, Paul, I know the pack's purpose, you guys are supposed to be fighting them, that's the whole reason you shifted, just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not going to happen, so I'm trying to be okay with it," she replied.

" Also, about Bella, I think she needed to hear that, I don't know why but she pictures you guys as weak, I know that my family is powerful but so are you guys. I know from what my uncle told me, and the newborns, they're dangerous Paul, really powerful, they're not to be underestimated and I think both of you stand a better chance if you stand together against them," she added.

Paul nodded. " You know, you're amazing," he finally said. Ashley smiled as she looked at him. " Most girls would probably lose their minds, finding themselves in the middle of something like this, but you, you're amazing," he said. Ashley laughed. "Yeah well, I am, glad you know it," she replied and leaned on for a kiss.

Of course, Paul didn't reject and leaned forward. He was slow to kiss her, keeping in mind what they talked about a week ago, even though things in her bedroom got heated. He was letting Ashley have the control.

They broke apart with a cough.

Rosalie was standing at the door, a faint smile on her lips. "Your friends are leaving to talk to Sam, thought you should know," she said. Paul nodded. "Thanks," he mumbled. Then he turned to Ashley. He quickly kissed her cheek, wished her a goodnight and walked out.

Rosalie crossed her arms as a smirk covered her face. She upped her left eyebrow playfully as she eyed Ashley. "Mom, don't give me that look," Ashley pleaded, hopping off from the counter. " What look? I'm not giving any looks," her mother replied. Ashley rolled her eyes. " Oh, you so are,"

" So, what's going on upstairs?" she asked her mom. " Expectedly, Carlisle and your father are breaking the party apart, I don't think we can last any longer, Edward's up with Bella, they are arguing," she said.

Ashley nodded. " Yeah, that's probably a good call, not even I'm in a party mode anymore," she replied. "What are they arguing about?" she asked her mom. Rosalie shrugged. " What do you think honey? Bella's mad Edward let wolves join," she replied.

She rolled her eyes. " I'm glad they joined, that means more protection for the both of you," she said. Rosalie sighed. " Ashley, I promise you, we'll all be just fine, no one's going to get hurt baby," she said as she embraced Ashley in a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'd like to start by saying thank you so much for the support you've been showing to this story! It has honestly re-sparked my love for this fic as well as the twilight renaissance we're experiencing right now. I've started writing it again. However, I haven't been feeling well mentally lately- I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression a few years back, and it has been recommended by my therapist that I take a few days off. Writing has always been my passion and cure for all of this stuff but I haven't been in the right mind space lately so I will be taking a few days off. Thank you all for the support you've shown and I'll be back shortly with new updates! Take care!


	22. Twenty One

One and a half days later from the party and the graduation, the Cullens were inside the forest. Edward was driving both Bella and Ashley there since both girls didn't want to be left out from it, and god knew if things went sideways they were the only moderators.

After getting out of the car Ashley walked toward her parents, standing together next to Jasper and Alice. "Hey kiddo," Emmett greeted her. She smiled and stood between them. Before she could reply everyone turned around to face the trees.

Eight wolves emerged from the woods and stopped a couple of meters away from the vampires.

Edward turned to Carlisle. "They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," he said. Carlisle kept looking at them. "They came. That's what matters," he replied. "Will you translate?" he asked as he stepped forward to the middle of the group.

While a light brown wolf got down and closer to Bella, the similar silvery one took a step toward Ashley and her parents. She knew that it was probably for precaution since she was standing between five vampires, so she smiled at the wolf.

"Welcome," Carlisle started, " Jasper has experience with newborns, he'll teach us how to defeat them," he said, gesturing Jasper who had taken a step forward.

The black wolf, which Ashley learned was Sam from Paul, lightly growled. " They want to know how the newborns differ from us," Edward said. " They're a great deal stronger than us because their own human blood lingers in their tissues. Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life," he explained then gestured Jasper to take over.

Jasper nodded and took a step forward. "Carlisle's right, that's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, but no human army could stand against them," he almost spat.

Just by his tone, Ashley could get how much even talking about this brought her uncle back, to the being he hated and fought so hard to move on from, her heart ached for her uncle.

" Now, the two most important things to remember are, first, never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly. And second, never go for the obvious kill, they'll be expecting that, and you will lose," Jasper explained then turned around walking to a clearing as he called for Emmett.

Ashley walked toward Bella, everyone but them would soon get involved and she wanted to be by her friend. They both gave each other a small smile as they continued watching Jasper and Emmett.

" Don't hold back," Jasper commented. "Not in my nature," Emmett smirked. Ashley rolled her eyes at her father's remark, even in training he was still his playful self.

The training continued for a while. Jasper took down Emmett, Carlisle took down Edward. As everyone fought, Jasper was giving them tips. The wolves were watching closely. Rosalie almost got Jasper but he was more experienced and she glared at her brother as she walked away.

When it felt like the fights were getting to an end and Ashley spotted Jacob walking towards them, she walked away from Bella, wanting to leave the two of them alone. Fortunately, a big silver wolf got in her way and stopped her.

" Hey, you," Ashley mumbled as she smiled and put one of her hands to the wolf's head, petting it. The wolf lightly grunted. Then another low growl came behind them. When they turned back Ashley realized it was Jared.

" Ooh, look who decided to greet me," Ashley chuckled and the wolves made a sound that almost sounded like laughter.

Ashley could feel the looks her family was giving to her, being comfortable around the wolves, joking around with them, but she didn't mind, she knew she was safe.

Then Sam gave a growl and all the wolves looked at him then started walking toward him. Paul looked back and Ashley smiled, "Text me back when you can,"

Bella was sitting on the car, talking to Jasper.

Ashley was with her parents, her father looked like he wanted to say something. " We gotta talk," he breathed out finally. "Emmett," Rosalie started but he shook his head. "Nope, Rose, I am her father, we need to have a chat," he said.

It was then that Ashley realized the rest of the family were scattered around, away from them. " Okay, dad, I'm all ears," Ashley sighed. Emmett looked at his wife then back to his daughter.

" Ashley, you're my baby, and, I, well, uh, I knew that someday I had to share you with someone else. I mean, I knew I was not gonna like who it was going to be, but I did not picture this. Whew, not like this definitely, and I'm your father, which means I've gotta have this position, you know?" he said.

Ashley furrowed her brows looking at her dad, trying to understand. Then she turned to her mother, who looked like she was trying to hold her laughter in but could explode at any moment. "Ugh, no dad, I don't think I know," she replied.

Rosalie chuckled, patting on Emmett's shoulder. "Honey, I think what your dad is trying to say is that he's jealous since there's someone else, another guy you love in your life. And he knew that'd happen, especially him being, uhm, a wolf, and didn't like it but knew it was coming. He says that since he's your dad and all, he feels like he needs to call the shots or at least look influential with Paul, it's his dad instincts, he can't help it," she explained.

" Ooooh, now I see," Ashley chuckled. " Well, he tried to scare away as many of them as he could but it was bound to happen," she added and Emmett gasped. "I, I, I did no such thing," he exclaimed.

" You so did Emmett," Esme spoke up, away from them. Emmett furrowed his brows in shock while Rosalie and Ashley smiled. "Thanks, grandma,"

Then she turned back to her father. "Dad, I get how you are feeling, I'm sure it's not easy' seeing' me with another male besides you, grandpa or my uncles but we both know it was about to happen. I'm eighteen, I wasn't going to stay single forever until the males of the family found me a suitable husband, it's not the 19th century anymore," she said.

Emmett bit his lip. "I know it's not the 19th century anymore, uhm, what I am trying to say is, I'm not comfortable with you and him alone in the bedroom, I think you are way too young to be having," he said but Ashley cut her off. " Dad!"

Rosalie bit her lip, trying to hold her laughter in. " I never thought I'd see the day Emmett giving our daughter 'the talk' this badly," she mumbled. Ashley wanted the conversation to be over now.

" I'm not particularly enjoying this either Rose," he sighed. "Okay, you know what? Ashley, I'll try to try to be more okay with you uhm, dating him, but I also want you to be more, ugh, responsible?" he asked.

Ashley nodded. "Sure thing dad, promise, can we stop talking about this please?" she asked. Emmett nodded. "Yes, please," he replied. "Great," she mumbled and turned around, walking toward where Alice, Jasper, and Bella were standing, since they were the ones who were the furthest away from her parents.

" You've kept me waiting long enough," she heard her aunt say, appearing next to Jasper. He smirked. " My apologies, ma'am," he replied, "I don't know what I'd become without her," he added and both smiled.

Alice shushed him. "You never have to be that again," she softly said and they shared a quick kiss.

Quickly, Ashley realized Jasper had just told Bella about his story, how he became a vampire and how that woman, or a bitch as Ashley would like to think, used him for years. " Aww, you guys are so cute," Ashley exclaimed.

The pair quickly broke apart and smiled. " You are the one to talk," Alice shot back with a smirk on her lips. Ashley rolled her eyes. " Ha, auntie, you've all witnessed what I've just gone through, please let me be," she pleaded.

The vampires chuckled as Bella eyed them in confusion. Jasper shrugged. "It was bound to happen kiddo, he was about to lose his mind last night," he said. Ashley breathed out in frustration. "Great," she mumbled. 

After the whole training was done everyone went back to the house. Edward was still concerned about Bella's safety, the newborns would be drawn to her scent but she couldn't be at the place, it'd be hard to both keep her safe and kill the army. Carlisle said that he and Jasper would think of something and that he should look after Bella until the day came.

Edward went with Bella to the Swan house and as soon as the rest of the Cullens came home Rosalie and Alice threw out all the males out. " What? Why?" Emmett had exclaimed. Alice rolled her eyes. "We need some alone time, just as girls, go arm wrestle or something," she said.

" Alice, honey, why? Wasn't today enough?" Jasper asked. Then Esme got involved. " Just for a couple of hours boys, we need to have the house for ourselves for a couple of hours," she sweetly said.

"What if we're tired?" Emmett said. Ashley rolled her eyes. " You are vampires, dad, you don't get tired, I'm the only one who can use that excuse, now, skedaddle," she shot back. She didn't know what the others were trying to do but she was sure on their side.

Once the men were fully gone, she was surrounded by her mom, aunt, and grandmother in the living room. " Okay, what's going on? You guys are kind of freaking me out," she said. " Come, sit with us," Alice said as she dragged her to the sofas.

" Your father made a good point today," Rosalie started and Ashley immediately shook her head. "Uhm, no, not going through that again, you know what? I think this nature trip has worn me out quite enough, I'll go take a nap," she said, trying to get up but Alice grabbed her hand and made her sit.

" You can't run anyway from this, plus, I promise we'll be better than Emmett," Alice said. Ashley sighed. "Fine," she mumbled. All the vampires looked at each other and shared a smile.

" Sweety, as you know, you've grown a lot, you're eighteen now, which means we understand that some things might happen," Esme started. " And we know that you are old enough to understand the consequences of it and can handle the responsibilities," Alice added. " Plus, we wanted to remind you that just because you're in a relationship or one side wants do go further doesn't mean you have to feel pressured to do so, you can wait until you are ready and there's nothing wrong with it," Rosalie finished.

So, it was the sex talk.

" I know, I know, mom, Paul is actually very understanding about all of it, he's not pressuring me into anything," Ashley replied. Rosalie slowly nodded. "That's good to hear, but that wasn't what we actually wanted to talk about baby," she said.

" You're human, he's human, part-human, whatever, which means you could get pregnant. You're so young and I think we can all agree on it's a bit early for you. We wanted to tell you about protection, there are a couple of ways, whichever ones you feel more comfortable with, both of you. This is what we meant as responsibilities we know you can handle," Alice said.

" Sex isn't something to be retrained from of or afraid of. It's actually one of the most beautiful experiences you can share with a person you love. We're not going to say something like you can have sex only when you're married, you can have it whenever you feel ready to do so," Esme said.

Ashley nodded. She was now more comfortable talking about all of it since her dad wasn't here and also her folks were very understanding and open. She didn't feel embarrassed to talk about it.

" We know that when you are a teenager, well, you're full of hormones and all and sometimes youngsters can do things when they're not ready to, we just want to make sure you are making your choices, and you are doing them for you, not someone else. We want to make sure you're all right. You are now in a relationship which I think we all know is becoming a serious one if it hasn't yet, and we want to walk you through it," Rosalie softly said.

So, for the whole hour, they talked about it. From their experiences to modern-day protection to sex's place in a relationship. When it was done Ashley was glad her family decided to give her the talk, she felt more confident about all of it now, plus it was nice to share all her thoughts about it.

" And, if you have any questions, about anything, you can always ask us," Alice had said, ending the conversation. " Will do auntie," Ashley replied before going to her room.

Paul had texted her since she asked him to. They texted for about an hour, both didn't want to talk on the phone since the people around them could hear them. They talked about their day, the newborns, Ashley answered some of Paul's and the pack's questions about them and she tried to give an answer to the best of her knowledge.

It had been a weird day.

When Ashley said that to Paul he asked her to explain it and without she could realize she told him about the talk she had with her parents in the woods. He had laughed at first, which made Ashley mad, but then he explained because he said he pictured her having that conversation.

Then Paul assured her again that he was okay with how slow or fast Ashley wanted things to happen and he didn't mind.

They continued talking about other things until the male part of the family came home and her grandpa came to her room to inform her that dinner was ready. 

The next day Ashley slept in. She was sleepless for the last couple of days and she wanted to relax for one day before the 'fight' would get to them. Plus, there was nothing she could actually do and she wanted to stay out of everyone's hair to make it easier.

After waking up and having a quick breakfast, she went back to her room and spent all day until noon catching up on her favorite TV shows. She left the room when her parents called her to eat. They said that they wanted to talk to her about something.

" Edward is going to be with Bella during the fight, to protect her if something happens. Jasper and Edward came up with a plan to cover her scent," Rosalie said. Ashley nodded, that was good.

" That's great, what is it?" she asked. Her parents exchanged a look. " You know how terrible they smell for us," Emmett started and Ashley nodded, " Jacob's going to be the one to bring her to the campsite tomorrow, from the clearing we picked. We think that they'd want to stay away from that smell," he continued.

" Which made us think," Rosalie started, " That place is close to here, and your scent is on us or vice versa. Victoria is unpredictable and you are our main priority, we want you safe," she said. Ashley furrowed her brows, she thought she'd stay here while everything went down, waiting anxiously for their return alone.

" If you were to be down at the Reservation, with them, their scent would be enough to cover yours and since they'd be away from that, you'll be safe," she said. "Oh," Ashley mumbled, she couldn't believe her parents were willingly letting her go there, that they thought her being there would be the safest for her.

" All of us except Edward are going feeding in a minute, he'll be here with Bella for the night then tomorrow they'll go to the campsite with Jacob. We think it'd be best for you to go over there now, so there'd be more than enough time for your scent to be covered," Emmett explained.

" I hope that would be appropriate? For both you and the wolves," Rosalie asked. Ashley bit the insides of her cheek. "Uhm, sure, I guess, let me text Paul," she said cautiously, watching her parents' reaction.

Emmett coughed and Rosalie nodded. " Okay, I'm pulling out my phone, opening chats, start typing, typing, typing, and sent?" Ashley mumbled, still waiting for a rejection or something.

Emmett sighed, " I'm not liking it but it's for your safety so I'll deal with it," he said.

The answer from Paul came quickly and he told her his father was away on business, as usual, and they could stay over at his house. Ashley finished her dinner and went to her room to prepare a small bag as fast as she could.

Her parents walked her to the garage and to the side of the car Ashley was going to take. " Ashley, uhm, I trust you to be good," Emmett said and she nodded. " Remember what we talked about honey, I love you," Rosalie said and hugged her daughter. Then Emmett embraced both of the most important women in his life.

" I love you guys so much, please be careful, I don't want you to get hurt," Ashley murmured. Rosalie kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry baby, we'll be fine,"


	23. Twenty Two

About half an hour later Ashley pulled out in front of the Lahote household. Paul was waiting on the porch of their small house to greet her. He took her bag and they walked in.

" Sorry the place's a mess, didn't have much time to tidy it up," he mumbled. Ashley shrugged. "It's okay, I'm the one who called at the last minute, I'm grateful you took me in," she replied.

" Of course babe, what else could I have done?" he said as he kissed her cheek. Ashley sighed, "You know, we can always clean it up, together, I'm sure Jay wouldn't mind it," she said. Paul looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding? He'd have a heart attack if he sees it someone else than him cleaning up,"

So they spent the next half hour cleaning up the house. It wasn't that messy. There were some dishes to be cleaned, some leftover packages and clothes laying. "Okay while I collect all the garbage get all the clothes and bring them to the bathroom, I'll take care of them once I'm done with this, then we can wash the dishes," Ashley ordered.

Paul smiled. " I love it when you get all bossy," he smirked. Ashley rolled her eyes as she lightly hit him. "Get to work mister," she said. While Paul started doing what she said Ashley started taking all the packages.

Afterward, she went to the bathroom and put all of the clothes to the laundry machine then the couple moved on to the kitchen. "I'll wash them and you'll dry it, we'll be done in no time," she said.

When all of it was done they sat on the couch while grabbed his computer. " What do you want to watch?" he asked. Ashley shrugged, "Are you even asking me that?" she replied. Paul chuckled. "Yeah, sorry, my bad. Supernatural it is," he said.

In the third episode, they were watching Paul sighed. " I don't get it, these guys, they are just human, how can they keep winning?" he asked. Ashley furrowed her brows, " They're the Winchesters, they always pull through," she answered.

" Even death?" he asked again. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Duh, dummie, they even killed the Death, they're the guys who save the world," she said. " Plus, they have an angel on their side, he's got powers," she added.

Paul breathed out. "Fine, fine, I'll just never understand why you love the show so much," he commented. Ashley gasped. " How dare you?" she asked. Paul was watching her amused. She grabbed the laptop and hugged it, with the Winchesters frozen on the screen. " Don't come between me and my boys,"

" Your boys, huh?" Paul asked smirking. He sat up on the couch facing Ashley. " Yup, but don't worry, you're probably in the top ten," she replied. "Top ten? Probably?" he asked again surprised.

Ashley shook her head playfully. "Easily," she murmured. Paul got closer to her. "Easily?" he whispered. Ashley nodded and Paul grabbed the computer, putting it away. " We'll see about that," he continued and kissed Ashley.

She was giggling through the kiss and she could feel Paul smiling. " Am I getting higher on the list?" he asked between the kisses. "Certainly," she murmured connecting their lips again.

After a few minutes, Paul leaned back. " Now that's sorted out we can continue watching," he said with a smirk. Ashley rolled her eyes. " Fine, but no more interrupting," she giggled.

The next morning they decided to go to Emily's. Paul had to go there anyway, Sam wanted them to be ready when the fight would go down the very next day. That way Ashley wouldn't be alone. 

" I heard Kim's coming too," Paul said. "Oh, really? I haven't seen her so long, it'd be nice to see her again," Ashley said. She couldn't remember the last time they'd been together, probably the prom they went together. She was a bit shy but once you got close she was the sweetest person ever.

Once they got there almost everyone was there. Only the Clearwater siblings and Quil were missing. The rest of the pack was scattered in front of the house, waiting and chatting.

"Ashley?" Sam called out. She'd been talking to Jared and Kim with Paul. All four teenagers turned to him. "Yeah?" she replied. " I was wondering if you could give us any more information, on these newborns, something your family might have forgotten to mention?" he asked.

She thought for a while. " No, I think my uncle pretty much covered it all on their abilities. However, they're newborns, which means they still haven't learned how to control their thirst, it's what drives them. If something happens during the fight and there's blood, I think it's safe to say that it'd be hard to stop a hungry newborn," she explained.

Sam nodded. "Good, no spilling then," he said. Then he shouted at the pack. "Let's go," and started running toward the woods. Ashley turns to Kim as she links their arms. " It's been a while since it's been just us, we've got a lot to catch up for," she giggled as she pulled the girl toward the house.

They gossipped about their boyfriends, what had happened in their lives since the last time they saw each other and what would happen tomorrow, their worries for the pack.

"Yeah, Jared told me about what happened, I can't imagine how much it must've hurt," Kim said. Ashley nodded. " It was pretty bad, it made me question everything, we had already been through so much, and I know tomorrow is going to turn out just fine and I'm glad we'll finally have a clean slate to have some fun," she replied.

"That's the spirit girls!" Emily chimed in after she was done. " Before we know it this nightmare will finally be over," she added. " I'm just worried for them, I know they have Ashley's family with them but, after everything I've heard, I don't know, I just can't help but worry," Kim mumbled.

Ashley hugged her. " Me too, but everyone single one of them had done this before so I believe in them," she said and Emily watched the teenagers with a smile on her lips. " Anyway, we should stop at this sad stuff and talk about something positive," Emily blurted out.

The girls giggled. "Yeah, like what?" Ashley asked. Emily shrugged. " I know! Ashley can tell us all about how Paul made up to her," Kim exclaimed. " Yes!" Emily said as she jumped on the sofa next to the girls.

Ashley smiled. "Okay, okay, I suppose I can give you guys some details," she said then proceeded to tell them the entire story. How Leah came over, her talk with Edward then Bella driving her to his house and the talk with him.

As she was telling the story Ashley could spot the glance in Emily's eyes as she mentioned Leah and she decided it was a good time for her to talk to her about it.

" Emily, can I ask you something, if it won't come off as too personal?" she asked the older woman. She smiled in response. "Do you still love Leah?" she asked again and Emily bitterly smiled.

" Of course I do! We were practically sisters until the thing happened. And I felt so bad about it, I still do, I love Sam and the pack but it always feels like something's missing, you know? Still, whenever something happens she's the person I want to go to, talk to, have around me. Sometimes, out of habit, I find myself about to text or call her, I miss my best friend,"

Ashley nodded. "When she talked to me, she practically said the same thing, that you two were like sisters. She's got a lot on her pile and I'm sure you feel it better than me considering your relation to her. I'm confident she still cares for you the same way and maybe if you reach out, this time, you two can fix it," she said.

Emily now had tears on her face. " You really think so?" she asked. Ashley gave a warm smile as she nodded. " I know so, Em, I think she wants it too but it's hard for her, maybe if you make it easier, I feel like she needs her sister back with everything that has happened to her in the last year,"

After the talk, the three girls proceeded to prepare dinner, given there was a pack of wolves who'd come back very hungry and tired and they needed their full strength for tomorrow.

It took them about two hours of cooking. Whilst doing that they also teased each other and laughed as if nothing was wrong. Emily also filled in Ashley about a major event that occurred while she wasn't here.

Quil imprinting on Emily's little cousin, Claire Young.

Ashley was surprised and a bit mad at Paul for not filling her in but mostly surprised at how it can happen. " Trust me, I still ask myself the same thing," Emily mumbled. As Kim told her about what happened and described the way Emily became and was almost about to kill Quil, Ashley couldn't help but smile a bit. " I could never picture you scary Emily, you're adorable,"

It felt good, to not worry, even for a few hours.

Seeing them the way they were made Ashley worry even more. Because for them only their family would fight but for Ashley, both of her families would fight. The thought of anything happening to any member of her families, it was unbearable.

It made her understand the possibilities even better. How easy it would be to lose someone. Her family was full of vampires so she never had to worry about that, whether something would happen to them because she knew it, no humane thing could hurt them.

But, tomorrow? It could hurt everyone.

A little before the girls were done the boys came back, exhausted. " Em, please feed us whatever you have, I AM starving!" Embry yelled as he sat down to the nearest chair. The rest of the wolves groaned as they sat next to Embry.

Sam, Paul, and Jared instead made their way toward their imprints and gave them a kiss.

Then Ashley noticed that all the seats were taken at the table. " Emily, are there any extras?" she asked and the older girl immediately understood what she asked. " Boys, first plate to whoever brings the chairs first!" she exclaimed and caused Embry, Seth, and Jacob to run outside.

After the dinner, Ashley, Paul, Jared, and Kim were sitting together. Both boys were hugging their girlfriends and holding them close. " So, what have you guys been up to today?" Jared asked. Ashley smiled sinisterly as she shared a look with Kim.

" Ah, you know, classic stuff, juicy gossip about you guys," Kim snickered and Ashley nodded as the guys rolled their eyes. " Great, we're screwed!" Paul exclaimed and they burst into laughter.

" Seriously though Jared, I can't believe you used to go by J-Man and tried to impress girls by doing Michael Jackson impersonations!" Ashley said, laughing. " I know, what terrible times we survived!" Paul added.

Jared rolled his eyes. "Hey, Hey! In my defense, I'm pretty sure it worked," he smirked and placed a kiss on Kim's cheek. Kim immediately blushed and Ashley and Paul smiled at them. Then Ashley turned to Paul. " I'm just quickly gonna go call my family, okay?" she said. Paul noded.

Ashley didn't talk to her folks since yesterday and she wanted to know they were alright. She got up and walked over toward the woods, where she was sure she was out of the wolves' ear-shot. Then she called Edward. He was supposed to be with Bella which meant he was the most likely member in her family to pick up the phone.

" Trouble in paradise already?" Edward answered the phone, causing Ashley to laugh. " Ha, you wish Eddy boy," she replied. " How's everything over there? Everyone fine?" she asked.

" It's fine. Everyone except me went hunting, to collect all of their power for tomorrow, Bella and I are at home, alone," he answered. Ashley smirked. "Ooh, home alone you say Eddy? You guys should behave yourselves," she joked.

Ashley heard Bella's giggle. " Yeah, did I mention you're on speaker?" Edward asked, clearly annoyed at his niece. " Oh, cmon, get over yourself, we're all adults here," she said and could picture Edward rolling his eyes.

When the couple didn't answer Ashley furrowed her brows. "Hey, is everything okay? Did something bad happen?" she asked. Then she heard the muffled talking coming over the phone.

" Ooh, something definitely happened, but it's not bad, but I can't promise you won't freak out," Bella said finally. " Okay?" Ashley answered. " Bella said 'yes'," Edward spoke up.

" She did? To what?" Ashley asked, confused. Bella giggled. " Future Mrs. Cullen said 'yes' Ashley," she said and Ashley shouted. " Oh my god! What! Really?" she exclaimed happily.

" Yes, you're the first one to find out," Edward replied. " Oh my, I'm so happy for you guys! Congratulations you two!" Ashley shrieked and earned giggles from the other side of the call.

" Uh, also, Ashley, is it, okay you keep it a secret for now? I need to find an appropriate way to tell everyone, especially to the wolves," she mumbled and Ashley nodded even though she knew Bella couldn't see it. " Sure thing Bells,"

After the phone call, Ashley went back and saw Leah sitting by herself. She made her way over there. " Hey," she said with a smile. " Hi," Leah mumbled.

" I wanted to thank you, Leah, the talk we had, it really helped me and I feel like it made us closer," she said. Leah nodded. " Good," she said then sighed. " I mean, I'm glad, that's, uhm, good to hear that," she replied.

Ashley took a deep breath. " I've been thinking ever since we had the talk, and I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries here, but I talked to Emily today, about you and the relationship you had. I just wanted to tell you she misses you very much and maybe now is a good time to heal old wounds," she said.

Leah glared at her, then to Emily, who was hugged by Sam and smiled at him, then back to Ashley through her speech. As she opened her mouth so say something Ashley spoke again.

" I can understand how much it must hurt, but I think you need a reminder that you're not alone, you've got a big family and even though most of them are dumbasses who don't show it, we all care about you, some more than others. You don't have to face anything alone and we're here for you if you let us,"

Leah had some tears on her eyes and some running down her cheeks. She couldn't speak. Ashley gave her a tight hug. " Thank you, I'll think about it," Leah mumbled.

After spending a bit more time with the pack Ashley and Paul returned home. Ashley could see how tired Paul was so they went straight to bed.

Paul hugged Ashley and fell asleep quickly. But Ashley couldn't sleep. With every negative thought running through her mind and her worry getting bigger she was shifting in the bed relentlessly.

She couldn't help but picture every possible worst-case scenario on her head and it scared her. The thought of someone she cared for getting hurt, this was the first time she was experiencing something like this and it terrified her.

She turned to face Paul. He seemed at peace. Ashley examined his face and it dawned on her, how much she loved him. And the fear of something, anything happening to him tomorrow.

Ashley knew that what her family was facing was dangerous but until that moment she couldn't grasp how serious the whole thing was. Her family filtered the information from her but when she thought about everything, it scared her.

If it wasn't much of a threat, why would her family decide to go to Seattle to sort out the situation? Why would the wolves align with them? Why take all the security precautions? It was much bigger and dangerous than Ashley initially thought and finally getting the bigger picture she was terrified.

Terrified for her family, for the pack, for her friends, and for her boyfriend.

No one was invincible and realizing any of the people Ashley considered family might not make it out alive after tomorrow was too heart-shattering.

Long before she realized, tears had started to run down her face slowly.

" Ashley?" Paul mumbled, feeling the distress from her girlfriend. " Is everything alright?" he asked as he opened his eyes and saw her. " No, Paul, I," Ashley started, " I thought I was okay with it, with all of you fighting, but I'm terrified, I don't want anyone getting hurt,"

" Baby," Paul whispered and hugged Ashley. " I promise, no one is going to get hurt, I'll make sure of it. I know it's dangerous, but hey, everyone who will be there tomorrow has faced many dangerous situations. Plus, I have a pretty good reason to come back unharmed," he said, smirking at the last part.

That last remark put a smile on Ashley's face. She looked up to his eyes and got fixed there. She loved him so much, so freaking much that it hurt. She knew that Paul was the one. Not because of the imprinting or him being a wolf, everything that he was, was the exact thing Ashley needed. They were the perfect match.

" I love you," Ashley said. Paul smiled. " I love you more," he replied and Ashley leaned up and started kissing him.

Paul easily gave into the kiss. But with each kiss that Ashley fired up, Paul was slowing down. " Baby, wait, what's going on?" he asked. Ashley shrugged. " I love you," she answered and kept on kissing him.

Paul kept stopping her and asking her what's going on but she kept giving the same answer. Then, finally, when Paul moved to the side of the bed and asked her what was wrong. Ashley sighed. " You could die tomorrow," she simply said.

" And I know that you promised me you won't get hurt, but anything can happen, they're, they're," she started, " I've just got you back and if tomorrow's the end I want to be with you until the very end," she continued.

She looked up to him to see him confused. " And I love you," she said one more time before kissing him and pulling him toward him. He was now on top of her and their eyes locked. " Baby?" he whispered.

Ashley looked up to him. " Are you sure?" he asked. Ashley nodded. " I remember our talk, we don't have to-" he started but Ashley cut him off by a kiss. " I love you," she whispered in response. Paul smirked. " I love you too," he replied and kissed her, fully giving himself.

He was already practically naked, only wearing his shorts. They rolled on the bed, making Ashley lay on the top. Paul's warm fingers went down from her face to the bottom of her shirts and pulled it up.

The temperature in the room was cold but as soon as Paul's hands touched her skin Ashley immediately melted into his touch. She was too busy kissing his neck when she felt his hands finding their way to her bra.

When Paul was done taking the bra off he gently turned, making Ashley at the bottom again. They shared a smile before connecting their lips again. Paul was trying to kiss every possible place on Ashley's body.

She was the single-handedly most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

Paul knew what he was doing, he had done all of this before, but now, with her, it felt like everyone before her, was meaningless and it felt right. With everything he did, Ashley couldn't help but moans escape her lips.

It was simply euphoric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holaaaa!!! I'm back and with a double update!!!


	24. Twenty Three

The next morning, after waking up and quickly having breakfast Ashley and Paul went to Emily's house. Jared was also bringing Kim there too and the three imprints would spend the day together until the rest of the pack came back.

Ashley knew Paul didn't want to admit but he was worried too. No one knew the exact number of newborns they would face today. The whole morning was uncomfortable between the couple as both of them were rightfully so lost in their own chain of thoughts.

For the whole way to Emily's, they didn't say a word to each other, because any topic they'd talk about would lead to the matter at hand and they were already thinking about it.

She also wanted to talk to her family, specifically her parents, she wanted to wish them luck and wanted another promise of coming back unharmed. However, she knew it wasn't going to happen, they were busy. Nonetheless, the thought of losing anyone from her family was unbearable.

When they got to the house everyone but Jacob and Seth were there. Paul told Ashley earlier that both of them would be accompanying Edward and Bella. Learning that piece of information was both relieving and alarming.

Relieving because both Edward and the wolves had back up. Alarming because Jacob would find out about the proposal.

Although Ashley wouldn't mind that being the biggest problem they were having rather than Victoria and her newborn army.

Ashley could sense the nervousness in everyone, it wasn't an easy thing to do. Even though no one wanted to admit or say anything out loud, everyone was worried about the possible worst-case scenarios.

The pack spent the next hours together, trying to calm the nerves. The Cullens told them where to meet, at the time of the army's arrival, because their scent might've covered up the fake trail they planted or tip them off.

Since the wolves were the element of surprise, they literally had to be that and needed to stay away until they came so the army would be caught blindsided.

" I wonder how lover boy's doing," Jared spoke up. He, Kim, Ashley, Paul, and Embry were sitting together. Embry smirked. " If they haven't killed each other yet, I guess they'll make it," he replied.

Ashley rolled her eyes. " They won't kill each other, Bella wouldn't let them," she added. " Yeah, we know, we're just joking," Paul mumbled and Ashley shrugged. " Fine, I just don't like conversations involving the death of loved ones," she commented.

Before anything else could be said Claire Young ran toward the group, followed by Quil. She was laughing as she ran away from him. Quil also had a big smile on his face as he chased her.

" Well, it's nice to see that at least someone's having fun and laughing," Kim said as the group watched the pair.

When the time came for everyone to go it was bad. Ashley, Kim, and Emily were hugging their boyfriends, Claire was crying because her play-friend was going away. " Don't worry Clair-bear, I'll be back shortly," Quil told her as he hugged her.

The girls watched them leave then got inside the house. 

Meanwhile, the Cullens -except Edward- were standing ready at the opening. They had smeared Bella's blood to the trees to lead them there. As the army got close and reached the place, the Cullens shot forward.

Jasper was at the front, running straight into them as he knocked one of the vampires down with a punch. Then he moved on to the next one while Emmett crashed into another and pushed him to the ground.

He grabbed a female and got her neck, breaking it. Simultaneously, Alice was handling the newborns running toward the family. As she took care of the third one, the wolves jumped out from the woods and into the middle of the battle.

Their sudden attack made a bunch of the newborns got thrown into the ground. They all jumped and bit the heads of the nearest vampire toward them.

Victoria, the mastermind behind all of this, was nearby. Her fight wasn't with the Cullens specifically, but the human they were protecting. She was half-expecting the human not to be there, but the army should have given her enough time to find her.

However, the wolves, they were messing with her plan.

She knew if she was lucky the army would kill all of the Cullens, which was a bonus, but their sole purpose was to save her time. But, because of the goddamn wolves, the whole plan could fail.

As she watched the battle happen, Cullens alongside the wolves tearing through her army, Esme kicking down a male vampire and Carlisle grabbing him than throwing him to the air for a wolf to kill him off, she became enraged.

So she started running, trying to find Bella.

Within the next 5 minutes of the pack leaving, Claire wouldn't stop crying. She was asking for her bunny. The girls were trying to get her to sleep because she needed nap time, but Claire wouldn't go to sleep without her bunny.

" Where have you last seen it, honey?" Kim asked the toddler. " Out," she responded while pointing the woods.

" It must've been when she was playing chase with Quil," Emily said and sighed. Ashley took a deep breath. " I'll go look for it," she mumbled then kneeled next to Claire.

She smiled at her. " Claire, can you point to where you and Quil were playing?"

After getting somewhat of a description from Claire, Ashley started walking toward the woods. She kind of an idea what the bunny looked like and she hoped to find it.

As she was walking inside the woods and looking for it Ashley couldn't help the feeling of being watched. She kept hearing rustling but whenever she checked to look, nothing was there."Where is that damn bunny?" she whispered to herself.

" Looking for this?" an unknown female voice said. When Ashley turned around, she saw a red-haired woman holding a dirty bunny. Then Ashley looked at her face and held her breath.

The woman's eyes were pure red and her skin was pale white. It didn't take her a long time to figure out who she was.

" You, you're, you're Victoria," she stuttered. Victoria smirked. " Yes, and I don't know who you are, but you reek of them," she spat as she took a step. As the survival instincts kick in, Ashley took a step back, gulping.

She could feel blood rushing and her fingers getting cold. Her heart starting to beat faster. She was in danger.

" You're scared of me?" Victoria asked, almost about to laugh. Ashley couldn't answer. " Good," Victoria said with a smile. And before she knew it, Ashley felt herself float and then an impact hitting her back.

When she managed to open her eyes, Victoria's blood-red ones were looking at hers with such pure hatred. The vampire was grabbing the human by her neck, against one of the trees. " They are ruining my plan!" she let out and hit the human's body to the tree again. Ashley's eyes shot open with the multiple sharp pain starting to ache from her back.

As the vampire's hold on her got stronger, it was getting harder for Ashley to breathe.

Then she threw Ashley to the ground carelessly. " No one is going to stop me from killing that human and getting my revenge, no one! Do you hear me? And I don't care how many people I've got to kill to get to her," Victoria said.

As it was her personality, Ashley immediately thought of several sarcastic comebacks but she couldn't say them out loud because of the pain and the lack of oxygen she was getting. So she just managed to spit. When she saw the blood she spat, she panicked even more.

" Yes, exactly!" Victoria exclaimed suddenly, looking toward her. She got close to her. " If you're reeking of them, that must mean you're close to them. Tell me, where are they? Where is the human?"

Ashley didn't answer which angered Victoria, which resulted in the vampire kicking her, and Ashley getting thrown a meter backward, holding her belly in pain.

" WHERE. IS. THE. HUMAN?" Victoria shouted now. Ashley looked up to her. " Go to hell, bitch!" she exclaimed. Victoria's eyes burned in anger.

" Victoria, I think I found them, come," another voice said. Ashley looked up to him. It was Riley. The lost boy from Forks. Victoria smiled, " Good," she replied, still looking at Ashley.

Riley caught it. " Cmon, leave the Cullen girl, she's gonna die anyway," he said nonchalantly. Victoria looked up to him. " Cullen girl?" she asked. He nodded. "Yeah, I saw a picture of her and the other human in her room, she's one of them,"

" So the Cullens have not one but two pets?" Victoria asked and Riley shrugged. " My, my, they've been successful to keep you hidden, but it doesn't matter, it helps my revenge," Victoria said and threw one last good kick toward Ashley.

As the two vampires sped away, Ashley rolled onto the ground, trying to breathe. She was coughing up blood and her vision became blurry. " Oh, god," she managed to let out as her arms didn't carry her and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

In the meantime, the Cullens and the wolf pack was almost done with the army. Edward and Seth were seconds away from killing Victoria and Riley.

During the battle, two newborns were near Paul when he was focused on finishing off another one. Emmett had killed the two than the two males had shared a brief look, kind of like making up for all of the previous incidents and coming to an understanding, then kept on fighting.

As all of them died and then got set on fire Edward and Bella rushed to the battle scene because of Alice's vision of the Volturi. The family was watching the big pile of bodies on fire when the couple arrived.

" The pack needs to leave," Carlisle said. " The Volturi won't honor a truce with the werewolves," he continued.

While the Cullens were talking, Leah spotted a newborn that was hiding and came out. She attacked him. Edward screamed at her to stop and Leah whimpered. Both Jacob and Edward ran at the two.

The newborn had his arms around Leah's neck and was about to kill her until Jacob jumped, bit his shoulder and the two rolled away. Leah was set free as she stumbled in the opposite direction.

Jacob and the newborn kept fighting and rolling in the ground when the newborn got the upper hand, wrapped his arms around the wolf and crushed it. As the wolf squealed out in pain and fell to the ground the rest of the pack jumped in and killed the vampire in seconds.

When they were done Jacob was shifted back and still crying out in pain. The rest of the pack now shifted back to their human forms came back and gathered around him.

Edward, Bella, and Carlisle were also there, checking him. " The bones on the right half of his body are shattered, I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in, it's already starting," he said.

In the following minutes after that, the pack brought Jacob to his house as quickly and safely as possible while the Cullens handled the Volturi. As promised, Carlisle went to the Black house as he could. Bella followed him.

After they left Rosalie took a deep she looked at her husband and smiled. " It's over," she sighed then took out her phone. " I'm gonna call Ashley," 

Twenty minutes later no one was able to reach Ashley. Rose called her about five times and when nobody picked up the rest of the family started trying as well. The decreased tension was now up again.

They called Emily's home phone, Ashley had given it to them before, and the woman who picked it up, Emily, she said that Ashley went into the woods to look for her niece's stuffed bunny and hadn't come back since.

After learning that Rosalie lost it.

" No, no, what if something happened to her? What if Victoria got to her?" Rosalie cried out. Emmett, Alice, and Esme tried to calm her down. " How the fuck can I calm down?" she screamed then closed her eyes.

" Call Sam, we need to get into that forest and look for her," she said when she opened her eyes. Everyone nodded and called Carlisle, asking him to put Sam on the phone.

The pack was outside of Billy Black's house, listening to Jacob's painful screams and hoping he'd get better soon. Upon the phone call, Sam gave permission to the Cullens.

He didn't inform Paul, the tension was up, everyone was nervous and if it was nothing then everyone would worry over something that didn't matter and he couldn't take the chance for Paul to lose it.

After getting the permission the Cullens immediately crossed the border, running through the woods at their top speed.

Meanwhile, Carlisle was stressed, they only told him to put Sam on the phone, plus he was feeling sorry for Jacob, his injuries were severe and he needed to rebreaking his bones in order them to heal properly. Jacob's screams weren't helping his conscience.

The whole world stopped for Rosalie when she smelled the insane amount of blood.

" Quick, here!" she screamed, wanting the others to hear her as she ran to the source of the blood. When she got there, she was in total shock. Seeing her daughter, her baby, in the ground, covered in blood and dirt was too much.

She kneeled down to her and took her in her arms as she started crying. By that, the rest of the Cullens reached the area and was shocked as well. Emmett rushed to his wife and daughter, not knowing what to do.

" Call Carlisle, now!" he managed to shout.

Esme was crying, Edward was by her side but his impression was unreadable, Jasper was holding Alice as they were watching their niece. Alice took out her phone and dialed Carlisle's number. 

Carlisle was almost done when his phone started ringing. He didn't answer it as it kept ringing and focused on Jacob. But the caller was very persistent as when one call ended the next would start in a flash.

" Can somebody please answer the damn phone?" he shouted angrily as he was about to finish. Sam burst into the room, leaving the door open and look for the phone. He picked it and opened it.

He furrowed his brows then handed the phone to Carlisle. Carlisle sighed as he took the phone. " What?" he snapped. A female voice screaming and crying was heard by almost everyone around them.

" Wait, what? Alice, slow down. What do you mean?" he said as he completely finished Jacob's bondages. " What happened to Ashley?" Carlisle exclaimed as he got up in a hurry. " How much blood?" he followed up.

Sam immediately turned to Paul, who was standing at the door, when he heard Ashley's name. Paul seemed emotionless as he looked at Carlisle. In fact, he was feeling many emotions, worry, nervousness, fear.

" Alice give the phone to someone who can tell me her exact condition, also where are you? Can you bring her to the house quickly? I have better equipment there, " he said as he collected all of his stuff and walked out of the house. Paul followed him as he walked.

When he finally ended the call Paul was looking at him with questions and the pack was behind him, ready to sedate him any second. " What happened to her?" he asked.

Carlisle sighed as he looked at Sam then back to Paul. " We don't know, they found her passed out in the woods, she lost a lot of blood. They're bringing her back to the house, I must go," he said and turned around, speeding away to get to his granddaughter.

Paul was stood there, his hands in fists, not believing it. Just hours ago they were together, she was safe, in his arms, laughing. As tears rushed to his eyes Paul took a deep breath and turned around, starting to walk than run.

" Paul! Stop! Where are you going?" Sam asked him but Paul didn't stop. " Where do you think?" he shouted then jumped, shifting to his wolf and running to the Cullen house. 

Carlisle was home before everyone else and he quickly started to prepare the room. In minutes Emmett burst in, holding Ashley. He had tears on his eyes as well and Rose was a mess.

Carlisle quickly looked over to Ashley. " This isn't good, it seems she was strangled, there might also be a few broken ribs, I just hope there's no internal bleeding," he mumbled and Rosalie's crying intensified as she hugged Emmett. He looked up and saw the condition of his family.

Everyone was crying or was about to. He didn't judge, he was feeling the same, but he couldn't lose it now, not when Ashley needed him.

" Get out! All of you!" he shouted. " The first one who calms down get in here and help me!" he ordered. 

In about ten minutes Paul reached the Cullen house. The rest of the family was standing in the backyard. Esme looked at the wolf. " Let me get you some clothes," she said and disappeared. After she came back Paul shifted and got dressed behind the trees.

" How's she?" he asked, panting. Rosalie was crying and Emmett was hugging her, also silently crying. Edward was leaning on the wall alone, looked lost in thought. Esme and Alice were sitting, slowly crying together and Jasper was standing next to them, trying to calm everyone down.

It was hard when he wasn't calm himself.

" It's bad," was all Jasper managed to say and Paul fell to his knees, his hands covering his face.


	25. Twenty Four

A couple of hours later Carlisle and Edward walked out of the room. Edward was the first one to cool it down so he went in there to help since he also had medical degrees. 

" We've done all we can, she lost a lot of blood and three of her ribs were severely damaged. It, unfortunately, hit a vein, causing internal bleeding. I've fixed everything. Hopefully, she'll recover. I'm making her sleep so the body can properly heal. We'll know for sure if she wakes up," Carlisle explained briefly.

Paul looked at him in defeat. " _If _she wakes up?" he managed to make out. Carlisle nodded. He was a vampire but the exhaustion and sadness could be read all over his face. " I've done my best, it's up to Ashley now,"__

__

__After that Carlisle ordered everyone to go hunting. They were all tired from the fight and now with Ashley, he needed them to be on the control of their thirst. Paul and probably a lot of other humans would show up._ _

__When it was just Carlisle and Paul he excused himself to go up to his room. When alone Carlisle finally broke down. While he was there Sam and Jared showed up with Bella._ _

__Paul filled them into the best of his abilities and hugged Jared tightly finally letting himself cry. Jared also had tears in his eyes, as he loved Ashley too. Everyone did, she was a friend, part of the pack._ _

__Bella was no better either. First Jake now Ashley. And it was all because of her. If the Cullens didn't kill James in the first place, for her, Victoria wouldn't come looking for revenge. None of her friends would get hurt._ _

__The family came back after an hour. Carlisle managed to get up and collect himself, he had to be for the sake of his family. He was checking on Ashley's vitals when everyone came back. Edward immediately went to Bella's aid while Rosalie and Emmett demanded to see her._ _

__After much deliberation Carlisle let them. He didn't want them to see Ashley like that, bruised and connected to the machines but he knew he couldn't stop them any longer._ _

__Rosalie and Emmet walked into the room hand in hand stayed like that until they reached the bed. Both parents sat at different parts of the bed and held one of her hands._ _

__" I can't believe this," Rosalie huffed. " You were supposed to be okay, you were supposed to be safe, baby, how can I live knowing I failed as a mom when you're like this?" she continued. " I'm sorry, we couldn't protect you," she sobbed._ _

__" You can do this Ashley, you can get through this. You're strong. If there's anyone who can wake up from something like this, it's you, my baby, cmon, you made us promise to come back, you've gotta do the same," Emmett said desperately._ _

__Rosalie took a deep breath. " It's funny, ever since the moment I found you, all I can think about are our memories. Not the future and what might happen but everything we've been through. Our fights, how much I wish you'd be awake and mad at me rather than like this, our talks, gossips, road trips. The night we found you, smelling the insane amount of blood and the car crash, just like today, I can't..." she broke down._ _

__Carlisle burst into the room and tried to get them out. " No, no! Carlisle, stop! I won't leave my baby alone!" Rosalie tried to fight. Jasper came in to help her. " Rose, she needs to rest to heal, cmon," he pleaded._ _

__Rosalie shook her head. " No! I left her alone before and look at what happened! I won't leave her again," she screamed. " Rosalie!" Carlisle raised his voice. He grabbed Rosalie by her shoulders and looked into her eyes._ _

__" Listen to me, you can visit and talk to her anytime but she needs breaks, we're not sure if she's able to hear us or not but even if she can, she'll still need time to herself to get back up," he explained." And if she can... don't you think it'd break her heart to see you like this? We, you, need to be strong for her," She nodded. "Fine,"_ _

__After that Carlisle gathered everyone in the living room for a family meeting. Paul was there as well. He was standing alone, leaned on the wall, his arms crossed. Jared and Sam had left but they said they'd be back later. " We need to know who did this," Emmett said sharply._ _

__" I agree, whoever did this needs to be punished, and no one stops me this time," Rosalie hissed. " It was obviously a vampire," Jasper mumbled. Emmett got up. "Than we follow the trail, find the damn person," he said._ _

__Edward shook his head. "No, there's no need," he said. Bella furrowed her brows. " What?" she asked. Everyone was looking at him now. Edward sighed. " When we were up in the mountains, with Victoria and Riley. She thought of getting a piece of her revenge by hurting 'the Cullen girl', I didn't understand it back then, I thought she meant Bella, but now it falls to pieces. They probably came across her looking for us," he explained, his sorrow being let out toward the end._ _

__" How?" Paul asked. It was the first time he spoke since he talked to Jared and Sam earlier. " Why would they be down in the Rez? How did they know she was one of you?" he continued. Edward looked at him._ _

__" She figured out the trail we left for them and then Bella's scent disappearing after there. Coaked by Jacob's, your scents, she might've thought of following your scent to find her. As for the second question, I have no idea," he answered._ _

__Bella took a deep breath. " You guys said that Riley was the intruder, right?" she asked. Edward and Jasper nodded at the same time. " I have a photo with Ashley on my nightstand," Bella murmured and Edward huffed, making the connection._ _

__" So, what? I can't even get revenge on that bitch for putting my daughter in that state?" Rosalie breathed out in anger. " She lost her mate and died, I'd say that's punishment enough," Carlisle replied to her._ _

__Rosalie looked up to him with furrowed brows and a pout. " Are you seriously defending her to me?" she spat. " No honey, what Carlisle is saying that she's already got her punishment and what we must do now is to be there for Ashley," Esme chimed in, trying to avoid a confrontation._ _

__Jasper walked to where Rosalie was sitting and sat right next to her. He half hugged her, gently touching her back. He was comforting her, both with his words and power. Sure they weren't related by blood, but after spending that much time as twins, a similar bond had blossomed between them._ _

__Paul took a deep breath and walked out, to the back porch and sat at one of the chairs there, putting his hands between his hands and closing his eyes. He didn't want to believe all of these things were happening to Ashley. He was wishing it to be a dream even though everything pointed to the opposite._ _

__He had seen the red-haired leech get killed by Edward from Seth's thoughts, and at that moment, just like Rosalie, he was wishing he was the one to finish her, that way he could at least feel a sense of remorse about the whole thing._ _

__Ashley was Paul's whole world now, he couldn't even begin to imagine a world without her in it, it wouldn't be his world without her, and considering he already had to go through five months without her was miserable for him enough._ _

__And Paul's number one priority was Ashley. He was supposed to protect her. If he couldn't properly protect his girlfriend, what the hell was the point of him being a wolf? He was like that so he could protect his lands and the people he loved from the cold ones, and he had failed. A cold one had nearly killed Ashley. And now he wasn't even sure she'd wake up._ _

__If he thought those five months were hell, well, then what the fuck was this?_ _

__" Don't," someone said. Paul looked up surprised, to see Emmett standing in the doorway looking at him. " Edward told me what you've been thinking about," he said and Paul took a deep breath, straightening his position. " I can't believe I am about to tell you this, but it wasn't your fault, don't beat yourself up too much,"_ _

__Paul furrowed his brows. " Are you kidding me? She was on our lands, the bitch crossed into our lands and hurt Ashley while she was there. The whole purpose of the pack is to prevent that, if we, I, can't even do that, what's the point?"_ _

__Emmett sighed. " You can't think like that, we are her family, I am her father, as a parent, my number one mission is to protect her, and I failed too. We all did. Partially blame yourself, if you're gonna," he said. " Why are you doing this?" Paul asked._ _

__Emmett scoffed, letting out a small chuckle. " Honestly? Edward's been complaining about too many depressing thoughts, Esme is over-worried and I know Ashley cares about you, so I know she'd be mad if she learns we treated you badly when she wakes up,"_ _

__Paul didn't answer for a while. " You said when," he said then. " The doctor said 'if', but you said 'when'," he continued, a faint of hope lingering in his tone. Emmett nodded. " I know my girl, she's a fighter, she's strong, she'll come through. She has to," he murmured. " Yeah," Paul whispered._ _

__Emmett patted on Paul's shoulder. " Esme's getting a room ready for you," he said. "Oh, okay, thanks," Paul mumbled. He watched Emmett walk back inside. At least, they weren't trying to kill each other anymore._ _

__He looked inside the woods to try to clear his mind. He knew he was guilty, his job was to protect Ashley. He had failed. He would always live with that. But now, all he could do was wait and hope that she'd wake up._ _

__

__Two days passed. Carlisle had said Ashley's vitals were stable. Which was a good thing but it still wasn't a certain indication that she would wake up. She could've permanently stayed in this state. In coma. Paul went back to Emily's for a while. He informed the pack about Ashley's condition. After that, he went to his house and grabbed some clothes and went back to the Cullen house._ _

__He didn't like being in a house full of vampires, not one bit, but he was there for Ashley. He wanted to there when she woke up. He needed to be. He needed to apologize. He wouldn't leave her side like this ever again, he would never put her in danger's way ever again._ _

__The only vampire he felt more comfortable being around, as much as he could anyway, was Esme. She was kind to Paul. He knew a bit about her from Ashley's stories and she seemed liked to be the most humane one. As close as she could get._ _

__She was also cooking for him and Bella every day. He knew she shouldn't have to but she was doing it anyway and he wasn't complaining. That day, while he and Bella were silently eating whatever Esme cooked for them he turned to Bella._ _

__" Jake's better now, he's awake," he murmured. She turned to him. " Yeah?" she asked. " Thought you might like to know," he said. He didn't want to talk to her, she was the reason for everything bad happening. He learned about the engagement thing since he was in the house and that angered him after he made the connection._ _

__True, Paul and Jake weren't of the bestest of friends, but he was still a part of the pack. And Bella didn't treat him right. Sure, Jake was an insufferable prick and he had mistakes too but still, if someone was keeping score, Bella's were totally higher. " Oh, thanks for telling me," Bella replied. Paul shrugged and kept on eating._ _

__He didn't like Bella, not one bit. She was the reason that apart from the Cullens, all the cold ones coming to Forks. All the trouble. Both Ashley leaving and her being in a coma was because of her. Plus, she was causing drama within the pack too. There was also the fact that she had the nerve to accuse them of corrupting Jacob and she had hit him. She was annoying. And she was a leec- vampire sympathizer. So far, there was no positive thing for him to like her._ _

__After they were done Bella went away with her fiancee and Paul retreated to the library. He had chosen that room for himself to be away from the vampires. Unfortunately, for the last day, two of them kept on following him. Alice and Jasper. They were like a shadow behind him and that made Paul angry._ _

__Did they really not trust Paul so they had to assign him babysitters?_ _

__They walked into the library a few minutes later. Alice picked up a book and they sat right across from Paul. He was looking out from the window and his face was hard. He didn't need babysitters. He didn't like being here, not one bit, he was here because of Ashley. They all wanted the same thing, for Ashley to be alright. This was unnecessary._ _

__" Why do you keep following me?" he snapped eventually and turned to them. Neither of them looked surprised by his question. " Isn't it better not to be alone? Even if you're brooding in silence," Alice asked._ _

__Paul rolled his eyes. " I'd be better knowing all of you were in a reasonable distance from me," he shot. Alice and Jasper looked at each other and then they got up and walked to the farthest point away from him._ _

__" Better?" Alice mused with a faint smile. Paul ran his hand through his hair. " You've got to be kidding me," he sighed. " Answer my question, why are you following me?" he demanded. Jasper took a deep breath and Paul looked at him weirdly. He was a vampire, he didn't need to breathe._ _

__Jasper shrugged. " Just as you are staying away from us, so is everyone. I can feel everyone's emotions and they're harder to deal with when I'm trying to deal with mine already. Everyone's sad, and I can't help them if I can't get it together. Near you, I only have to worry about three people rather than nine," he answered._ _

__" And near you, my powers don't work. This is the only time I'm truly afraid of what I might see in my visions. You see, I have special abilities. I can see visions into the future. And I can't bear to see what we all fear," Alice explained._ _

__Paul furrowed his brows. " But what if you see her waking up? Wouldn't it help this endless wait? It's exhausting, not knowing," he said. Alice shrugged and her face fell. " Yes, but that is the positive outcome. I know this wait would become even more painful if we learned she never woke up, wouldn't you agree? At least, now we're waiting for her to wake up. We have hope. Wouldn't it be worse to wait for her to die?" she replied._ _

__Paul took a deep breath and looked outside again. " Yeah... You're right," he mumbled. He didn't like being closer to vampires, that was already established, but these people were Ashley's family. He knew he wouldn't be buddies with them but maybe being a little nice wouldn't cause the end of the world._ _

__" Okay," he said. " You can sit if you want, seeing you like statues freaks me out more," he added. Jasper and Alice smirked at each other and sat back down to their previous seats again. Paul grabbed a book from the library, he was sure the vampires wouldn't mind him reading, and he opened it and put it in front of him to the desk. As he was reading, he felt a surge of relaxation brush by him._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo we get to see from Paul's perspective a bit... What are your opinions so far and what are your theories of what follows this?? I'm genuinely curious..


	26. Twenty Five

Another week passed. There was still no change in Ashley. She was connected to the machines and was sleeping. Everyone would take turns and go in there to spend time with her. To talk to her. They all liked to think she could hear what was said. 

She had also received her letters from the colleges she applied to. She got into Syracuse and Washington State. She got waitlisted for the college down in Texas. Rosalie and Emmett waited until all the letters came and opened them in the room with her. Of course, they'd rather open them with Ashley and celebrate it with her but they were trying to do the best out of the situation they were in. 

Bella had also been coming. She had been talking to Ashley too and telling her to wake up. Apologizing. She kept on making jokes that she wouldn't get married until she woke up. Sure, they were only jokes. No one was in the mood for a wedding. Not when Ashley was in that state.

Along with Bella, her friends from school also who were also friends of Ashley came to visit. Jessica, Angela, Mike, Eric. Paul would stay away from them since he didn't know them properly nor did he desire to know them really. All he wanted was for Ashley to wake up. 

The only time he wouldn't stay away was when the pack visited. The Cullens would either leave to hunt or go away to give the pack some comfort. Then, Paul would be inside the room. The first time the pack came, it was Jared, Kim, Sam and Emily. The second time, Leah, Seth, Embry and Quil came. The last time, the whole pack, along with Jacob and Billy came. That was yesterday. 

Paul had also gotten kind of use to have Jasper and Alice near him. They were always there and their reasoning seemed genuine, even if they were natural enemies, he had grown to be okay with it. It didn't bother him as it did before. 

With the short amount of time he spent there, he could actually start to see beyond them being vampires and the people Ashley always so fondly talked about.

Just the other day they offered to show Paul Ashley's childhood photos. You know, it was the classic duty of the adults in the family, showing baby and childhood photos of the kid to their partner. Although all of them would have preferred Ashley to be there and cringe, it was still nice to see her happy, smiling, and healthy in photos. 

As they were almost done with the album Esme knocked on the door with a smile on her face. " We're waiting for you," she sweetly said looking at Jasper and Alice. Paul understood what she meant immediately. They tried to be discreet near him but he still got it. They were going feeding. 

" Alright, we'll be down in a minute," Alice said. Esme nodded and walked away. Alice and Jasper got up and Paul proceeded to give them back the album. " No, no, keep it," Alice said. " We'll put it back on later," she added. Paul nodded. Before they walked about Jasper turned around. " Don't forget, think of happy memories, it helps," he said. 

Paul watched them walk away and then he looked out of the window. The rest of the family was down there. As soon as Alice and Jasper joined them they sped away into the woods and soon disappeared into it. Paul sighed and looked down at a photo of Ashley. She was around eleven or twelve and dressed in a Harry Potter costume. She looked so happy in those clothes. Paul unintentionally smiled as he eyed the picture.

He then got up and walked out of the library. He decided on taking Jasper's advice and think of his happiest memories with Ashley. No lie, most of the things they've done was all happy memories for Paul. Anything involving Ashey instantly made him happy.

As he was walking in the house suddenly he was grabbed and pushed onto a wall. " What the fuck? You slept with her?" Edward roared as he pushed Paul against the wall. Paul immediately got angry. How the fuck did he know?

_Oh, yeah. Happy thoughts. He can read minds, or hear thoughts. Whatever. ___

__" Get off me, man!" Paul exclaimed. Instead, Edward grabbed his shirt even tighter. " You had sex with my niece?" Edward asked roughly. " I am warning you. Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me. Now." Paul replied._ _

__Edward didn't seem to be backing down and Paul took a deep breath. " Yes. Okay? But it's not like I forced her. She wanted it. I would never force her," he calmly said. Edward still looked angry and he looked like he might attack. Paul was not afraid of that, he could probably take him down._ _

__Then, Edward tilted his head and his face changed. It was like he was in shock. " What?" Paul asked. He didn't answer and let go of Paul. He looked at him. " We're not done talking about this," he hissed and sped away toward where Ashley was._ _

__Paul followed him. He was standing at the doorway. He looked inside and saw that Ashley was awake. She was freaking awake. " Ashley!" he exclaimed and that took her attention. She looked scared, scratch that, terrified, but as soon as she saw Paul her face softened._ _

__As Paul went inside Edward walked out. Paul didn't care. All he cared about was Ashley. He kneeled down next to the bed and took her hand into his. " Oh, baby, you're awake. I'm so sorry, I should have protected you, I'm so sorry. I'm so glad you're awake now," he started to say and kiss her hand._ _

__" Paul," Ashley managed to let out. Her throat was dry and it was hard to speak. " Yeah, baby?" he asked. " Can you hold me?" her voice came out broken and there were tears in her eyes. Paul nodded. " Of course," he softly said. Ashley scooched a bit back and made room for him to lay next to her. Paul squeezed into the tight space and took her in his arms. He started kissing her hair and head softly as she snuggled between his shoulder and head._ _

__They stayed like that for about half an hour. Then Paul heard the footsteps of her family. " Babe, your family's back," he murmured to her ear. She jerked away in fear. Paul furrowed his brows. " What's wrong?" he asked._ _

__" Paul, please don't let them in," she whispered. Paul wanted to as why. Didn't she want to see them? They were dying to see her. He was sure they didn't know she woke up and would be overjoyed. But her face said enough so he nodded and got up. He got out of the room and started waiting for them._ _

__As expected, Rosalie and Emmett appeared in the hall. " Step away," Rosalie said. Paul shook his head. " I'm sorry, I can't," he replied. " What the fuck you mean you can't?" Emmett exclaimed, taking a step and getting closer to Paul. He wasn't going to lie, he was a bit intimated by Emmett, probably because he was Ashley's father but it was her wish and he would do it no matter what._ _

__Edward appeared behind them. " Guys, cmon. We need to talk first," he said. Rosalie turned around in anger. " No, I want to see my daughter first," she insisted. Edward looked at her annoyingly. " Rose!" he said loudly. " We, need, to, talk," he said._ _

__Rosalie and Emmett shared a look then started to walk away. Edward looked at Paul. " You too wolf boy," he snickered. Paul glared at him but did as told anyway. They went into the living room where the whole family was there._ _

__" I don't understand. Why can't I see my daughter? Why isn't he letting me in?" Rosalie exclaimed. " Because she asked him to," Edward replied, his arms crossed on his chest. Rosalie furrowed her brows. " What? Why?" she asked._ _

__Edward looked at her and he looked sad. " When she woke up, I rushed to the room. And, upon seeing me, she was scared," he said. " Scared?" Esme asked. Edward nodded. " Yeah, I heard what she thought. As soon as she saw me, she got reminded of Victoria,"_ _

__Carlisle sighed. " It must be a PTSD of some sort," he murmured. " Oh, no," Alice mumbled. " What will we do?" Emmett asked. " Wait. Until she's ready," Carlisle replied. " Oh my god," Rosalie whispered and hugged her husband._ _

__Carlisle then turned to Paul. " It seems like you're the only person she seems comfortable being with. She shouldn't be alone," he said. Paul nodded. He was asking him to be with Ashley. " Don't need to tell me twice," Paul said and turned around, walking back._ _

__When he opened the door he saw Ashley getting startled. " Hey, it's just me," he softly said. Ashley smiled. He closed the door and sat next to her on the bed. " I'm gonna tell the pack you're awake, they've all been worried sick," he mumbled and took out his phone._ _

__There were several texts from the pack waiting on updates. He quickly sent Sam a text informing him. Sam would let the other know. Paul didn't want to spend too much time on his phone texting everyone when he could be with Ashley._ _

__He grabbed her hand again and looked at her. They were looking at each other. " I don't know what I'm supposed to say," Paul said with a faint chuckle. " But, Ashley, baby, I'm so sorry for what happened to you. I should have protected you. That bitch attacked you because you had my scent on you. I'm so sorry," he said._ _

__Ashley squeezed his hand. " Is she...?" she let out. Paul nodded. " Yes, she's dead. Permanently dead. She can't hurt you again," he replied. She nodded and took a deep breath in relief. " That's good," she mumbled._ _

__" How long have I been... like this?" she asked again. " A little over a week," he replied. " Oh," she muttered. " Is... Is anyone else hurt?" she asked. " I was close to Emily's," she continued. Paul sighed. " Only Jake. It was a newborn. But he's better now. Everyone else is fine, they were all worried, that's all," he replied._ _

__He then turned around and pointed to a desk with some gifts on it. " People have been visiting. The pack, your friends from school. Bella. They brought gifts," he explained. " That's nice," she whispered and smiled._ _

__" Your family has been very worried too," he said. He didn't want to go there but it was her family and he knew she loved them. " I know," Ashley replied. But before they could talk Bella rushed into the room. " Oh, Ashley, you're awake! Thank god!" she exclaimed._ _

__While Bella sat on the bed and lightly hugged Ashley, Paul got up and closed the door. He knew it wouldn't keep anything out in a house full of vampires but he had a hunch Ashley felt better that way._ _

__He watched them talk. " Uhm, I'm gonna go grab a drink or something? Do you want anything?" he asked. Bella shook her head. " No, thanks," she quickly said and turned back to Ashley. Paul got out of the room. He didn't want to leave Ashley but he figured she might have wanted some alone time with her friend._ _

__He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. After he put it down and turned around he saw Carlisle. He was startled, he was not used to them appearing out of nowhere, not yet. " Sorry," Carlisle mumbled. " I was wondering if you could ask Ashley whether it'd be okay for me to go in and check her?" he asked._ _

__Paul shrugged. " Sure," he replied. " She's talking to Bella now, so, I'll ask when I go back in a few," he mumbled. Carlisle nodded and smiled. " Thank you, Paul," he said. After that, he wandered around the house a little bit to give the girls some more private time before going back._ _

__" So, uhm, the doctor wants to check on you. Your vitals and all," he said. " Only him?" Ashley asked. He nodded. Bella put her hand over hers. " Don't worry, we'll both be here," she said to Ashley. Paul nodded. " Okay," Ashley slowly said._ _

__About ten minutes later Carlisle knocked on the door softly and entered. He briefly smiled at Ashley and checked on the machines. It was awkward. Bella was sitting on the bed, next to Ashley while Paul was standing on the other side. No one was talking._ _

__" Looks good," Carlisle murmured. He then opened a drawer and took out some stuff. A needle and some liquid stuff. He put that into the IV Ashley was connected to with the needle. " I'll be back tomorrow morning to check," he said, still looking at the IV bag, probably not to stress Ashley and left._ _

__After he left Ashley started crying again. She felt horrible. She was treating her family horribly, but she couldn't help it. Every time she saw them she was automatically reminded of Victoria and Riley. She knew her family would never hurt her but it was her brain._ _

__

__Three more days passed. Paul stayed with Ashley for all of them. Bella was there most of the time too but she had to leave sometimes. Carlisle would come in once a day to check on her and give her medication. They would not talk._ _

__Since Paul would walk outside to get food, water, or anything, he would have to come face to face with her family. And yes, he might not have mind reading like the leech Edward, sorry, vampire Edward, but he could still see the sadness on their faces about the whole thing. Plus, he overheard Ashley's mom crying about the whole thing._ _

__And he was conflicted. Sure, he was still not fond of vampires. But they were Ashley's family. And they have been kind to him, mostly, during the time he spent here while they all waited for her to wake up._ _

__So, Paul decided to talk to Ashley about the whole thing. Luckily, her family decided to go hunting that night, giving them privacy to talk freely. Since they were in the house and had better hearing, both Ashley and Paul knew that the family could hear whatever they were talking about. Plus, there was the whole mind-reading thing so even if they were not speaking up, there was someone who could hear what they were thinking._ _

__As soon as Paul was sure they were out of earshot he sat on the bed, grabbed Ashley's hands, and looked at her. " Babe, we need to talk," he said. Her posture changed and her face got serious. " Is something wrong?" she asked. He shook his head. " Do you need to go?"_ _

__" No, no. Baby, no. I won't leave you, I told you that. I'll be here as long as you want me to," Paul replied. That answer seemed to calm her down. " Look, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but your family... They are not like the other bloodsuckers. They're... erm, nice. And they would never hurt you," he said._ _

__She sighed. " I know that," she murmured. " But I can't help it, you don't understand. All I can think of when I see them are the red eyes, those cold red eyes looking down at me. Not my family who I know loves me to death but just a... a monster. Like her, " she choked. Paul chewed on his bottom lip. His guilt hadn't faded away, not one bit._ _

__" I know... that you went through something terrible and I can't begin to understand how that must feel. But they're your family and I know it hurts them. I know it hurts you too but, but, maybe you can focus on something else to see through the red eyes. They don't even have red eyes..." he mumbled._ _

__He honestly didn't know what he was rambling about. He was an eighteen-year-old boy for god's sake, not a licensed psychologist. Not that any licensed psychologist could help with post-vampire attack trauma._ _

__" You, you do have a point," Ashley muttered. Paul looked up in confusion. He had? " Yeah?" he asked. She nodded. " They don't have red eyes, maybe if I focus on that, it'll help," she murmured. He moved his head slowly. " Sure, yeah. That could work," he replied._ _

__He gently squeezed her hand. " Look, no pressure. Alright? They know you are not in the best place right now, and they're respecting that, but it's not hard to imagine what they're going through. I know that they care about you as much as I do and... and you not wanting see them... I know how that feels. Take as much as time you need but know that they would never do what that leech did to you and that I will never let anything bad happening to you ever again," he said._ _

__After their fight, when Ashley told Paul to go and they didn't see or talk to each other for a while, that was probably one of the worst periods of his life. Not to mention when the Cullen's moved away for months and he had no way of reaching her. So yeah, he could relate to the vampires. They might have hated each other's kind but there was one thing they had in common. They all loved Ashley._ _

__They stayed silent for a while. Paul gave her some time to think about what they talked about. Once she seemed like she reached a decision he got up from the bed. " I know what will get your mood up," he said with a smirk. She looked at him with a curious grin. " What?" she asked._ _

__He walked to the desk and grabbed the laptop. "Guess who's favorite show's season finale dropped two days ago?" he asked. She gasped and smiled. " Holy shit!". He chuckled at her and sat back down next to her, opening the laptop._ _

__An hour later, Paul heard the vampires coming back. He didn't say anything to startle Ashley. They had finished watching the episode and were now watching some videos on YouTube. He played it cool and tried to focus on the thing they were watching._ _

__But Ashley was clever. She had realized Paul's body stiffening up, plus she heard the muffled chatter coming outside. It was her parents. " Paul," she murmured. " Yeah?" he replied. She looked up to him. " Can you... Can you get my parents?"_ _

__The wait until Paul left and then hearing footsteps to her room was excruciating. She loved her family and her parents. They were her parents, of course she loved them. And she wanted to see them, since the moment she woke up. That was not a lie._ _

__But she was just scared. It was her brain reacting to seeing any vampire. Her eyes knew that she was seeing her family but it was as if her brain was automatically ruling every vampire as Victoria and as a threat._ _

__And she also knew that she needed to fight that fear. Her family had been with her for eighteen years, they never hurt her. They never harmed her. She had always felt safe with them. Even with their crazy driving, she never feared for her life. She needed to get back into that mindset. All the other vampires in the world might be a threat, but her family wasn't._ _

__She took a deep breath and her heart started beating faster as the footsteps got closer. She heard the doorknob turning and encouraged herself. This was her mom and dad. Her dramatic but full of love mom and goofy but overprotective dad. Her parents that would give their lives before letting anything happen to her._ _

__Rosalie stepped into the room first. Emmett followed soon after. They carefully walked toward her bed and stood a bit away from it not to startle her. Ashley could feel their nervousness. She felt like crying, she felt horrible for making her parents feel that way._ _

__She slowly put away the blanket on the side of the bed. It was a gesture so that they could understand she was okay with them coming closer. Rosalie was holding hands with Emmett. She slowly let go of it and sat at the place Ashley cleaned up for her._ _

__They hadn't said a word yet, they weren't even looking at each other. Ashley knew her parents were trying not to push her and she was grateful for it. But it felt absurd to her. They were her parents. They were the ones who looked after her and made sure she grew up surrounded by love._ _

__She looked up to her mother. She looked like she was about to cry. That made her tear up too. She didn't like seeing her mother sad. " Mom," her voice croaked. Rosalie looked up and faintly smiled. " I'm sorry," Ashley continued, a sob escaping from her mouth._ _

__As a motherly instinct, Rosalie embraced her daughter immediately. Ashley didn't fight it. In fact, she loved it. This was her mom, the one who always stood by her side, who always supported her, always protected her from any harm, always loved her. She was safe._ _

__She eased into the hug, wrapping her hands around her mom's body and hugging her tight. And with that hug, suddenly, the nervousness and the fear of vampires had vanished. She was in her mother's arms, they would not hurt her._ _

__Both started crying. " Shh, it's okay, it's okay baby, you're alright," Rosalie was saying. " We love you, we love you so much,"_ _

__Ashley looked up at her mom. " I love you so much mom," she said. Emmett was standing close by and Ashley grabbed his hand, pulling him to the hug as well. " I love you both so much," she sobbed. " We love you too," Emmett sobbed too._ _

__They stood like that for a while. Until all the tears were shed and everyone calmed down._ _

__" I'm sorry," Ashley mumbled once their hug ended._ _

__Rosalie furrowed her brows. " Why baby? Why are you apologizing?"_ _

__Ashley pressed her lips together as her eyes drifted to her hands, being too ashamed to look her parents in the eye and shrugged. " For... for, you know... Past few days," she mumbled._ _

__" Kiddo, we're the ones who are sorry. We couldn't protect you... It's our job to protect you and we failed. We apologize to you, not the other way around," Emmett said._ _

__Ashley shook her head. " No," she croaked. " It wasn't fair... You probably went through hell for that week and I can't imagine how you must have felt..."_ _

__Rosalie slowly grabbed her hand. " We understand... at least we did once Carlisle explained. We are not mad. Honestly... It was better to know that tou were awake and better rather than... rather than... you know,"_ _

__" Exactly... At least you were awake. That week was worse. Not knowing if you'd... well, we don't need to think about it. You're awake now and we're just grateful about it," Emmett added._ _

__Ashley sighed. " Okay..." she mumbled. Rosalie squeezed her hand slightly to make her look at her. " We love you so much... as long as you know that, we'll get past anything,"_ _

__Ashley nodded, tears forming in her eyes again. " Yes, yes, of course, I do," she replied. Rosalie faintly smiled. " Good, baby. That's enough,"_ _

__Emmett coughed. " Okay, how about I kick the mood up a bit? Would my favorite girls in the entire world like that?"_ _

__Rosalie and Ashley shared a look and smile. " Sure," they replied at the same time._ _


	27. Twenty Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the note at the end and hope you enjoy!

Two months had passed. Ashley was now back on her feet and she had managed to overcome her fear largely. She was no longer getting startled or her heart didn't skip a beat when her family appeared out of nowhere. She was getting there.

And since she was better, the whole family had gotten into the wedding mood. They decided to have the wedding one month before Bella's birthday, because for some weird reason Bella didn't want to get older. Older than Edward. Which was absurd for Ashley because he was already way older than Bella.

It was the start of August, which meant that the wedding was less than two weeks away. Alice was in hyper-focus mode into the wedding and was giving orders left and right. No one was brave enough to ask her to calm down.

Ashley had decided to go to WSU. It was obvious Bella would be changed shortly after the wedding and the University of Alaska would be a good cover-up. It was close to the Denali's too. Plus, WSU wasn't that far away from Forks that she wouldn't be able to see Paul. But it was far enough that no one else would be able to see something suspicious.

She would leave for college right after the wedding and get settled into the dorm. They had a three weeks orientation for the freshmans before the term started. It was a long period of time for orientation Ashley thought, but hey, she would be starting her college experience earlier.

She didn't know what the rest of the family would be doing, they'd probably not get apart like months ago so Ashley suspected they'd move to Alaska with Edward and Bella. She didn't know yet, what would happen. All of the 'kids' of the family had graduated either this year or the year before so there was not really a reason for them to stay here anymore. No cover-up.

Ashley was a bit worried about her and Paul's future. They had never tried long-distance before. She knew she loved him and that he loved her back but it scared her. Everytime they tried to talk about their future it led to a heated discussion.

Paul would say that he would have no problem following her to the ends of the world but Ashley didn't want him to give up what he wanted because of her. It made her feel selfish. Paul would argue back with what he wanted was her and her safety. It was a dead-end every time.

Ashley was just done having breakfast and getting dressed. She was going to the beach down in La Push with the pack. Alice was sitting on a desk, looking through magazines for the wedding. " Auntie, quick question," she said.

Alice looked up. " Yes, sweetie?" she asked. " Have we finalized the guest-list? It's solid?" she asked. Alice sighed. " I already counted him," she replied. Ashley smiled. " Great, thanks," she quickly kissed her aunt's cheek and walked away.

Emmett was standing on the doorway of the garage. " Not so fast, little lady," he said. Ashley pouted. " Dad! You said I could go," she muttered. He nodded. " Yes, I did. But we need to talk about curfew," he said.

After she woke up, Emmett had grown quite more 'comfortable' with her daughter dating. Especially a wolf. But he was trying. He had a chance to see and observe Paul during the wait and he was almost convinced he was okay. Still not fully, in his eyes, no one was enough for his little daughter.

" Dad, I'm eighteen," Ashley mumbled. Emmett shook his head. " And I am over a hundred years old, your point?" he mused. She rolled her eyes annoyed. " Alright, so I'm thinking 11," he said. She gasped. " 11? Dad, 11 is--" Emmett interrupted her. " 11 AM," he finished.

Ashley's mouth fell open and she looked at her father in shock. " AM?" she asked. He nodded. " Oh my god, thank you," she exclaimed and hugged him. Emmett chuckled and hugged his daughter back. " I don't want any funny business, understood young lady?" he asked.

She chuckled as she made her way to the car. " I'm too young to be a grandpa," he tried to joke. Ashley was Ashley. She was sarcastic, She turned back and smirked at her father before getting in the car. " Didn't you just say you were over hundred? Seems like it's due time you become a grandpa," she shot.

Emmett stood there dumbfounded while she chuckled. She heard the loud laughs coming from upstairs from the family, they obviously heard it too. The only one who was not laughing was Emmett. Ashley decided to not force her chance too much and get out of the house before he changed his mind.

She drove down to the beach. She would meet the pack there. Paul told her it would be just like the last time they were there. Cliff jumping, volleyball, eating around the fire. He also said it could change since they would have Claire with them too.

Claire Young was Emily's niece whom Quil had imprinted on. It was a whole debacle.

Since it was summer, it was hotter than usual. It was still Washington so it was cold but not as much as winter which kinda gave hope to Ashley that she wouldn't freeze that much this time. Ever since the whole Victoria thing, everyone around her, and she meant everyone- was overly overprotective. She wanted some physical activity, something entertaining to do, but no, everyone was playing safe around her. Both her family and the pack. It was boring, she was fine now and wanted some fun.

When she got to the beach the whole pack was there already. She parked her car next to the others. Paul greeted her by kissing her cheek and taking the bag she was holding. That was what she was talking about. He was her boyfriend and the furthest they've done the last weeks was mostly cheek kisses and a short kiss if she was lucky. He was holding back.

She took a deep breath and followed him to where the others were. Quil and Emily were playing with the sand along with Claire. Sam was sitting near them, watching the three. Jared and Kim were sitting and looking at something in Kim's phone.

Seth, Leah, and Jacob were sitting away from everyone and were talking among each other. Embry was with Collin and Brady. They were both thirteen and the youngest shifters in the pack. All of the guys had taken the role of an older brother for them. Ashley felt sorry for them. They were too young- sure the others were too young to have such a burden on their shoulders too but thirteen? That was way to early.

" Hey guys," Jared greeted the couple. Ashley hugged Kim and sat next to her. " What are those three doing?" Ashley asked, looking at Jacob, Leah, and Seth. " They're probably brooding as usual and Seth is trying to brighten their mood," Jared answered.

Ashley sighed. " Is he mad about the marriage?" she asked. Paul nodded. Jacob had gone away after he got better from his injuries and learning about the wedding. He only came back a couple of days ago but was keeping it a secret. The pack asked Ashley not to say anything and she didn't.

The day went on as planned. They cliff-jumped, swam, did a splash war again. They played volleyball. And during all of those, Ashley became more and more annoyed at Paul. He was playing it safe, too safe. He didn't want Ashley jumping. He stopped the splashing war. He made them get out of the water way too early. He was taking all the hits during volleyball. He was babying her.

And Ashley's annoy turned to rage during the dinner. The pack was scattered around the fire, eating the sandwiches Emily made. Paul didn't even let her stand up, he grabbed the sandwiches and if they were alone, she was sure he was going to feed it to her like she was a baby.

Once they were done eating Ashley pulled Paul aside. They walked toward the woods and away from the others. " Babe, is something wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Paul immedieatly asked. Ashley sighed.

She liked that Paul cared about her and was trying to make sure she was safe. Really. It was nice but he was overdoing it.

" I'm alright," she said. " Then's what's happening?" he asked. Ashley crossed her arms. " What are you doing?" she asked. He was taken aback by that question, he was clearly not waiting for that. " What do you mean what am I doing? I'm spending time with you, like we agreed, before you leave," he said. She shook her head. " No, not that. You're babying me, Paul," she said sternly. He furrowed his brows. " No, I'm not," he said. She rolled her eyes. " You are," she said.

He took a deep breath. " I'm just protecting you," he said. Ashley bit the insides of her cheeks in annoyance. " I'm sick of it, everyone is doing these things and saying that they're protecting me. It's been two months, I'm better now. The bitch is dead and there's no threat around. Look, baby, I appreciate all of this, really, but I don't need it. I'm a capable adult who can do basic life necessities. If you see a vampire running at me to hurt me, sure, jump in the way. But swimming? Playing volleyball? Carrying a goddamn bag? I can handle those," she said.

Paul listened to her and didn't speak up. " Look, I know you feel guilty. I get it, really, but what's happened happened. It's in the past. I'm leaving in two weeks and I don't know when I get to see you again. I don't want to be babied, I want to have fun, with you. I want to spend some time with you, do silly stuff. You won't even get close to me if it's not to take something I'm holding. You won't even kiss me," she continued.

She got closer to her. " You've seen my family, they're extra protective over me now, but even my dad let me spent the night here, with you and the pack. Even he's letting me have some fun. So, please, can we?" she asked.

Paul looked at her. He seemed to be having a debate within himself. She waited for him to reach to a conclusion. He looked up to her and their eyes locked. He looked conflicted. " Paul--" she opened her mouth but got silenced by him. More precisely, his lips.

And it was not a soft kiss. They were full-on making out. He had grabbed her waist and lifted her up, lightly slamming her body against a tree while she wrapped her legs around his waist. One of his hands was at her butt, both lifting her up and touching her. His other hand was around her body. She smiled through the kiss. He was not holding himself off anymore.

After making up, the couple went back to where the others were sitting. They were holding hands and both of them had a grin on their face. Jared obviously picked it up. " Oh, shit, they--" he stopped talking after Kim hit her repeatedly. Ashley mouthed her a thank you. It was still embarrassing to be called out.

They sat in the circle and started talking with everyone else. They talked about hours until the sun went down and Claire fell asleep. Then it was time to go. Paul and Ashley hopped onto her car and started driving toward Paul's house.

" Wait," Paul said suddenly. " Did you say your dad let you spent the night?" he asked. Ashley turned to him with a smirk. " He did," she replied and proceeded to tell him about the talk they had. " That's just really lucky," he commented afterward. Ashley turned to him confused. " Why?" she asked. It was his turn to smirk. " Because my dad's away, again,"

That meant they had the house to themselves for the night.

After parking the car outside of the house, they grabbed their stuff and walked inside. " Do you want to shower first or should I?" Paul asked from his room. Ashley put her bag on the couch and walked to his room.

She stood in the entrance and waited for him to turn around. " Shower turn?" she asked. " Yeah," he mumbled. She smirked and took off her sweatshirt as he turned around. " I had something else in mind," she said.

Paul grinned as she got closer to him. He leaned down to kiss her but she pushed her to the bed. She took off her shorts and climbed on top of him. " I thought we can continue what we were doing in the woods earlier," she said. He smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for having another break here. I thought the break I took earlier would really help with my mental health but it's just gotten worse. I've had a few anxiety attacks and felt like shit afterwards... I'm also almost out of the chapters I've written already and bc of my mental health I'm in no shape to write. I've already got the rest of the plotline and chapters planned, I just can't write. I will definitely keep writing once I manage to get past this 'phase' once again and I am definitely finishing this story... I just need a little bit more time than I anticipated... hope you understand


	28. Twenty Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am back. I know it's been a long time but as I promised, I'm back to finishing this story. Hope you all have been good. I'd like to thank you for all the support I got while I was gone. 
> 
> Also, we have moved on to the Breaking Dawn part of the story, which means the end is near. Hope you all enjoy and please don't forget to comment down below what you thought!

It was finally time for the wedding.

Bella's mom and step-dad, Phil, flew to Forks. The Denali's came down for the wedding.

Alice was working on the wedding non-stop for the past weeks, and these last few days, she had the whole family work non-stop. Her justification was that she was the maid of honor. Ashley was entertained watching the whole family being scared of not complying to what Alice was ordering them.

Bella was nervous for several reasons. But her main reason was the high heels that Alice put her in. She wasn't used to using them in her normal life anyway, and the ones Alice picked out was beautiful yet enormous.

The night before the wedding, Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle took Edward out to the woods for his bachelor party. Similarly, Ashley and Alice wanted to something like that, a bachelorette party, but Bella didn't want it.

Right now, Alice, Rosalie, and Renee were prepping Bella inside the house while Ashley was outside, greeting guests and talking to them. Being a host.

Luckily her dad and grandpa were with her, to help her with it. Usually, Carlisle was the one who knew most of the people, given how he was the doctor. Also, since everyone but Ashley kept to themselves at schools, she took over the other people. Emmett was literally just there to smile and look pretty.

And yes, those were the exact words Alice had used.

One of the first people to arrive were Jessica, Mike, Angela, and Eric. Ashley hugged with Angela and Jessica and shared an uncomfortable and weird handshake under Emmett's glares. " I'll see you guys soon," Ashley said to her friends. When they were gone she elbowed her dad.

They stood there for about an hour to greet guests. There were a few people from the high school they went to. There were a lot of adults Ashley didn't really know. Sure, she knew the names because Alice had spent nights making the sitting charts and Ashley helped her but she didn't know most of these people personally.

Emmett checked his watch. " Honey, it should get started soon, why don't you go and help everyone get seated?" he asked. Ashley nodded. She saw a couple of other cars lining up but she went inside.

Alice had made her wear heels too and trying to walk in heels in the grass was a bit tricky. Luckily, Alice had granted her the chance to choose the length of the heels, so she was safe. Most of the time.

She put on a smile and started to ask people to get seated. Their names were written in the seats but she helped some of the people, from what she could remember.

As she was doing so, Jessica hurried to her side, the others following her. " Hey, Ashley," she greeted her. " Hi, you guys okay?" she asked. Angela nodded. " Yes, we were just getting to our seats," she mumbled and tried to pull Jessica.

She stood her ground. " Oh, yeah. We totally will, but before, you need to answer something for me. I am dying," she said. " Great, here we go again," Eric sighed. Ashley looked between her friends suspiciously and turned to Jessica.

" Are they getting married because your brother got Bella pregnant?" Jessica blurted out. Ashley gasped. " I mean, why else would you get married three months after high school graduation? Before college?"

Ashley pressed her lips together. " Jessica, we don't really have time to debate this. Go to your seats, please, this is absurd," she said. Jessica grinned as Angela pulled her toward their seats. " She didn't deny it, I'm telling you..." Ashley heard her say.

Once she turned around, she saw most of the people being in their seats. Her family was at the front left. She quickly made her way over there. " We have a minor problem," she whispered. Alice turned to her, her face completely covered in anxiety.

" What? What happened? I'm going to kill your dad," she started to say. Ashley chuckled. " No, not like that. Auntie, calm down, you don't want to cause a scene," she said. " You certainly don't," Esme added.

Alice nodded. " Some people think Bella's pregnant and that's why they're getting married," she said. Upon hearing that, both the Cullens and the Denali's, standing on the behind row, started chuckling. " Was that it?" Rosalie asked, amused.

" That's hilarious," Carmen said. " Okay, not a real problem, we can carry on," Alice breathed out and sat on her chair. Ashley shrugged and sat down. She turned around and started talking to the Denali's. They were happy to see Ashley and how happy she was.

They were talking about her university when everyone fell silent. Edward passed by them and took his place on the altar. Ashley smiled at him and he smiled back. She had to admit, it was nice to see Edward finally happy, truly happy.

And Alice had done a beautiful job at the wedding, it looked amazing.

Then Edward looked forward and everyone turned around. Ashley joined. Her eyes found Bella on her father's arm. She looked nervous but her dress and make-up were amazing. After that, her eyes locked with her boyfriend.

He was in the last row with Billy Black and Sue, Leah and Seth Clearwater. He was wearing a tuxedo and he was grinning at her. She couldn't help but smile under the look he gave her.

The ceremony went beautiful. Ashley even teared up a little, just like her grandmother. Then they started clapping and getting up on their seats as Edward and Bella's kiss got to end and they smiled toward the crowd.

After that people scattered around. Alice along with Jasper went toward Jessica and others to handle the problem. Ashley would have tagged along but she didn't really feel like it. Renee, Bella's mom, was crying happy tears and she went over to give her a piece of napkin to wipe her tears.

Meanwhile, people were approaching the bride and the groom to congratulate them. Ashley saw with the corner of her eye that Billy and the Clearwaters were talking to them but Paul wasn't with them.

Then, someone coughed behind her. She turned around to see Paul with a smile on his face. " Hey, " he said. She smirked. " I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Paul rolled his tongue as his face became playful. " I don't know, would you like to?" he asked. Ashley bit down on her lip. " Uhm... I was actually waiting for my boyfriend to show up. You might wanna get lost... he's kind of a hothead,"

" Good thing he's not here then," he said and got closer to Ashley, putting his hand on her waist and pulling her closer as well. " Hi," he quickly mumbled before going in for a kiss. She immediately gave in, but as she remembered her whole family- the extended family, was in the same place who could hear and see everything going on, she pulled back later on.

She put her hands on his jacket and smiled. " My family's around, it's weird," she said. He nodded. Then her eyes drifted off behind his shoulder and she saw Edward and Bella talking to the Denali's.

They all wore uncomfortable faces and Irina was glaring at Ashley and Paul. " One second," she mumbled and started walking toward them. " Is something wrong?" Paul asked but she didn't answer as she kept on walking.

" You invited two of them... She's close to one of them," Irina was saying harshly when Ashley got close enough to hear. " Irina, they're our friends," Edward defended. " They killed Laurent!" Irina scoffed.

Ashley furrowed her brows. Irina was the least nice person in the Denali coven, in Ashley's opinion. She was still family of course so Ashley loved her to an extent. But she didn't appreciate her being like this toward her and Paul.

" They were trying to kill Bella!" she sharply said. Luckily, there weren't any humans around that could hear the conversation. Irina took a step toward Ashley. " I don't believe that... He wanted to be like us. To be in peace with humans... humans like you and with... me. So how can you explain _this _?"__

__Ashley pressed her lips together. It was true, she did lose her mate. And she knew how painful it could be. She and Paul were kind of the same too and she would probably react the same way if roles were reversed._ _

__" I'm sorry," Edward said, taking charge. Irina looked between them then turned around to walk away. The others called her name but she didn't stop. Ashley looked at Edward and he moved his head to signal that she should go. She gave the Denali's a quick smile and turned around._ _

__Paul was watching her and the whole thing. " How much of that did you hear?" she sighed once she got close enough. He shrugged. " Enough," he mumbled. And before they could say anything else a sound from the microphone came._ _

__Emmett was up on the stage. " Hello? If everyone could please kindly take their seats," he said, directly looking at Ashley. She rolled her eyes and mumbled an oh my god before looking at Paul and they started walking._ _

__Once Ashley sat in her seat Emmett smiled. " Alright, now I can start. I'd like to propose a toast," he said lifting his glass. Everyone followed. " To my new sister, Bella, I hope you've gotten enough sleep in these last eighteen years... cause you won't be getting anymore for a while," he said and chuckled._ _

__" Oh my god," Ashley mumbled, trying to hold back a chuckle while experiencing second-hand embarrassment and cringe from her father. She saw Edward trying to pretend like he didn't just say that, Bella uncomfortable and Charlie Swan heading for a sip of whatever he's drinking._ _

__People started to go up on the stage to give toasts. There were Charlie, Renee, Alice, Esme, Jessica, and several other people. Then it was Ashley's turn. With her heart racing, she walked to the stage. She wasn't the public speaker type._ _

__Her eyes found Paul first and he gave her a reassuring smile. Then she looked at her parents who had smiles as well. She turned to Edward and Bella._ _

__" Hi... If you're someone who knows me, you'll know that I am not great at doing public speaking. I'll try not to mess up. Hopefully," she said and some people chuckled. Rosalie gave her a thumbs up and Ashley breathed in relief. She felt more comfortable than she did a minute ago, and she was sure her Uncle Jasper smirking at her had something to do with it._ _

__" I'd like to think that I was the first acquaintance Bella made from the Cullen family when we were paired up for that history project and even though the groom would disagree, I was the booster between them because he was the shyest being on this world. Bella and I were quick to become friends, we understood each other. I could say that she is my best friend- apart from my sisters of course. And, nothing has ever felt this comfortable to officially add her to our family. I know she and my brother will make each other very happy in their future. I love you both so much,"_ _

__There was a round of applause as she raised her glass and then walked off the stage. Edward and Bella were smiling. Rose hugged her daughter when she sat down. " Great job, baby," she said and kissed her cheek._ _

__A few other people spoke too, including Edward. He was the last. And as he spoke about finding the one Ashley couldn't help but get teary again, she knew how lonely he felt all those years seeing everyone in the family was a couple and all._ _

__Then it was time to dance._ _

__Most of the people were on the dance floor. Jasper and Alice were giving people a show while Emmett and Rosalie were dancing behind them, more slowly. Ashley was next to her grandparents, watching Jasper and Alice dance with their crazy moves._ _

__Emmett approached her daughter. " Can I have a dance?" he asked. She smiled and took the hand he was reaching out. " Where's mom?" she asked as they stepped onto the dance floor. " She's dancing with the groom," he answered, " Her dress is breathtaking and since all the attention is either on the groom or the bride, she's having her moment,"_ _

__She nodded and looked at her mom and uncle. Her mom really did look amazing. She was a beautiful woman and she knew how to show her beauty too. " I just hope they don't end up killing each other,"_ _

__He smirked. " Nah, she wouldn't ruin her dress. Besides, Alice would probably kill both of them before they ruin the wedding," he replied. She chuckled. " Yeah, right," she mumbled._ _

__" You look amazing too, honey," he said. His face was more serious now. " Thanks, Dad," she replied and saw him getting teary. " Dad, what's wrong?" she asked. He gave out a faint smile and looked away._ _

__" It's just... It's just, I got emotional. I saw Charlie and I started thinking of you. You're growing up so fast. To me, you're still that little kid who comes to my arms whenever you get scared. And now... now, you're going to college. It won't be long until you get married too, oh god,"_ _

__A tear rolled down his cheek. " Dad," Ashley said, her voice cracking. He got her emotional too. She snuggled into his chest. " I'll always be your little girl, don't you worry about that," she said. They hugged while they still slow danced. " Plus," she said, breaking the hug, " I'm not planning to get married until my late twenties, or my early thirties, don't worry,"_ _

__Emmett cracked a smile. " Okay, okay. Good. That means I've got a decade to prepare," he said. She chuckled. " Is that why you were so protective today?" she asked. He nodded, pressing his lips together. " Yeah... You're leaving for college tomorrow. You're becoming your own adult tomorrow and I guess, I just wanted to hold on to my little girl a little longer,"_ _

__Ashley fought back the tears. " I can't believe you're gonna make me cry," she said. He chuckled. " Everyone cries at weddings," he replied. She smiled. " I love you, Daddy," she said. " I love you too my little bear," he replied._ _

__They danced for a while before Emmett stopped. " Alright kiddo, I've got to get back to your mom now. She's been waiting for a while... plus, there's someone else who wants to take their turn," he said and took a step back. Paul suddenly appeared next to them._ _

__" No funny business," Emmett mumbled before walking away. Ashley smiled at her dad while she and Paul started dancing. " I hope your boyfriend doesn't mind you dancing with me," he said._ _

__Ashley smirked. " I don't know, he might, especially since you're certainly a competition," she replied. His lips twirled. " How can I not when you are the prettiest person here?" he asked. She hit her shoulder faintly. " Stop," she chuckled._ _

__" What?" he smiled, " I'm being honest. Your boyfriend is pretty stupid to leave your side, even for a second," he continued. She bit her lip. " I love you," she said. " I love you,"_ _

__They danced for a little while, joking around and talking when his face got serious. " What?" she asked. He shrugged. " Nothing," he mumbled. She furrowed her brows. " Paul," she said. He sighed. " The others are here," he said._ _

__" What does that mean?" she asked. He chewed his lip before answering. " Jacob came. To surprise Bella. Then they had a little fight, Edward and the rest of the pack intervened. They were in the woods, in case Jacob lost it or something. Anyway, it's defused now," he explained._ _

__Damn them and their superhearing. Probably every vampire and wolf in here had heard what went down. " Why did he get all worked up for?" she asked. Paul coughed before answering. " Erm, he, we all, we all thought that, you know, _it _would happen today. The change,"___ _

____" Oh," Ashley said, understanding the topic. Edward was keen on having Bella experience everything human before she changed and they both wanted to have a 'normal' honeymoon before it went down._ _ _ _

____Paul sighed. " Anyway, it's not our problem anymore. I guess. Sam said so," he said. She nodded. " Yeah, they're going to go away for college, away from here. As far as I know anyway," she replied. He nodded._ _ _ _

____" Let's not talk about them. I only care about us. You're leaving tomorrow too," he said. She pressed her lips together. " Yeah," she mumbled. " But I promise, I'll come to visit the first chance I get. And once I get settled in, you'll too, like we talked, " she said with encouragement._ _ _ _

____He nodded. " Of course, I won't be able to stay away from you that long," he replied. " You better not," she said. " Wasn't planning on it," he mumbled and leaned forward to kiss her. At that moment, her entire family being there and being able to hear and see them clearly wasn't on Ashley's mind._ _ _ _

____Sure, she was happy for Edward and Bella but she was also a bit heartbroken. From tonight on, everything would change. Edward and Bella were officially a couple, Bella was officially a Cullen, she'd be a newborn soon which would make the whole family gathering with Ashley a bit tricky so they might not get together for a while._ _ _ _

____Plus, as her dad said, she was becoming her own adult. She was starting college. She'd be away from her family for the first time and be her own person. And she'd kinda had to leave Paul behind. As long as Cullen's were still in Forks, the pack still had a purpose. And if the last year proved anything, even when they were gone, vampires still came to the area. Which meant that Paul had to be there._ _ _ _

____And with all of this on her mind, before stepping onto the next step in her life, she wanted to live the moments in her life, like Edward suggested, and dancing and kissing her boyfriend at a wedding was one of those things. They danced for a while in silence and just being in each other's presence._ _ _ _

____After their break, and as the wedding started to come to an end, Ashley spotted Leah walking away from everyone, looking sad. " One moment," she mumbled to Paul and started following Leah._ _ _ _

____" Leah? Is everything alright?" she asked. Her back was turned to her. " Yeah, yeah, sure," she mumbled in response. Ashley took a step forward and put her hand on her shoulder. " Are you sure?"_ _ _ _

____Leah turned to her. Her eyes were teary and her arms were crossed. " No," she whispered after a moment. " What's wrong?" Ashley softly asked. " Tonight got me thinking, that's all... How I'll probably never be able to have something like this,"_ _ _ _

____Ashley furrowed her brows. " What does that mean?" she asked. Leah shrugged. " You know imprinting happens with the people who are considered to give healthier children so that the tribe will live on... right?" she asked. " Sure,"_ _ _ _

____" But I'm a female. We don't know if I'll ever imprint and therefore even be able to have children because of the changes that the shift brought. I'll be alone," she said. Ashley's heart broke for her again. " No, you won't. You said that it is a possibility, right? This means it's not certain... Just wait, and it will get better,"_ _ _ _

____Leah chewed on her bottom lip for a while. " I don't know... I guess we'll see," she responded. Ashley gave her a warm smile. " Yeah," she replied. " Do you wanna go back?" she asked. Leah shrugged. " I'll stay here for a while... if that's okay. To clear my head. But you should go back. I'm sure Lahote is looking for you,"_ _ _ _

____" Are you sure?" she asked. Leah nodded. " Yeah. And... thanks. You were very kind to me. You have always been, in fact. I guess. I guess, I'll miss your company when you're gone," she let out. Ashley hugged Leah. " Of course, I told you. I consider you family, and I'm always here,"_ _ _ _

____They smiled before Ashley walked away to give her, her space. She was thinking of finding Paul but Alice appeared in front of her. " Where have you been? They're departing!" she exclaimed. Ashley gasped. " Already? Isn't it too soon?"_ _ _ _

____" Kiddo, don't argue, let's go," Jasper sighed. As they started moving Jasper leaned toward Ashley. " I'm a hundred percent positive that if she could, she'd have a heart attack this moment if things didn't go accordingly to plan,"_ _ _ _

____Ashley tried to contain her laughter. Alice turned around, with her brows furrowed. " I heard that!" she yelled. Jasper and Ashley lost it and started chuckling. " Just so you know, yes, I might be a perfectionist when it comes to these things, but you try to put together an entire wedding in less than two months and have it be this gorgeous!"_ _ _ _

____" I'm sorry honey, you are absolutely right, however, I can't take you seriously with that face," Jasper managed to let out. It wasn't any secret that Alice was the smallest, physically, in the whole family. Emmett often picked on her and the joke spread to the whole family as well. Alice scoffed. " Let's just go," she rolled her eyes and started walking ahead of the two. Jasper and Ashley chuckled for the last time before they started hurrying away too._ _ _ _

____The crowd was in front of the house with their car. Bella was saying goodbye to her parents. Edward was standing next to his family. Ashley was watching him, waiting for him to get done with others so that they could talk. They haven't been able to talk properly since yesterday._ _ _ _

____Luckily, Edward was a mind reader and as soon as he was done talking to Carlisle and Esme, he turned to her. " I'll come to see you once we're back," he said. She smiled. " You better be Eddy boy," she replied. She jumped to hug him and buried her body within his._ _ _ _

____" I'm so happy for you, you know," she mumbled. " I know, thank you," he replied, squeezing her tighter. When they broke apart Edward smiled. " I left you a present. It's up in your room," he said. Ashley furrowed her brows. " Buddy, you got it wrong. You're the one having the wedding, that's not how it works,"_ _ _ _

____Edward chuckled. " Well, true, but you're leaving tomorrow, and since I won't be there to see it, I wanted to give something. I also haven't gotten you anything proper for graduation too, so, consider it a double,"_ _ _ _

____" You're the best," she said. He smirked. " I know," he replied. " Have fun," he said while Bella stepped next to him. " That's the plan," Bella replied._ _ _ _

____They got in the car and Rosalie grabbed Ashley's hand and gave her a warm smile. She smiled back. Emmett hugged both of them as they watched the car speeding away on the road._ _ _ _


	29. Twenty Eight

After Edward and Bella left, the company started to leave too. 

Ashley found Paul. " I've gotta go too. After the whole thing in the woods with Jacob, Seth left with the guys. I've got to drive Billy and Leah back," he said. " Oh, okay," she replied. She presumed Sue would be with Charlie. 

" Thank you for coming, I had a great time with you tonight," she said. He smiled. " Me too baby," he responded and hugged her. " I can't believe the time is up, two months passed so quickly," 

She broke out a smile. " I know," she whispered, " But we survived worse... way worse," 

He squeezed her tighter. " Yeah, I mean, it's just a couple of hours drive, right?" 

" Yes," she replied. She had faith that they could make it through. She knew that she and Paul were solid and would make through this. She didn't know what the future held for them just yet, considering what they went through the last year, it wasn't certain and anything could happen, but for now, this was enough. 

He reluctantly let go of her. " So, uhm... text me when you get there tomorrow?" he asked. She nodded. " Of course," she replied. " I love you," she added. His lips twirled up. " I love you," he said and leaned down to kiss her. 

They broke apart with a honk. It was Billy's truck. He and Leah were in there. " Gotta go now," he murmured. " Yeah... drive safe," she mumbled. He smiled at her and started walking toward the car. 

She took a deep breath and turned around. She was really excited to go to university and start her adult life. However, leaving Paul behind broke her heart. These past two months were full of fights between them about the future. 

Paul didn't want to leave her and he said he would go to Washington for her. Of course, Ashley wanted to be with him, but she didn't want it happening like that. As much as they loved each other and he was willing to do anything for her, Ashley knew Paul had a responsibility to the pack, and leaving them would leave an inner scar. 

She grasped the imprinting bond a bit, the wolf would do anything for their imprint. That saddened Ashley a bit. The bond made the wolf give up their desires and wants for life. She didn't want Paul giving up what he wanted out of life for her. It felt selfish. 

She didn't want to be dictating his life, making him agree to stuff normally he wouldn't agree without the bond. 

So, for now, they agreed for Paul to stay with the pack and Ashley to go to WSU. Her family would be busy with the newborn Bella anyway, which left Ashley and Paul to decide on their future together. Whatever it may be. 

She slowly made her way to the house. During her goodbye with Paul, most of the guests had left. She was a little sad over having to leave Paul for a limited period of time, until one of them could visit, and to leave her family, but she put on a smile. This was the last night that she got to spend with her family all together before a long time. 

Plus, she really wanted to see Edward's present for her. 

She walked into the house. The first person she spotted was her mom. Rosalie embraced her daughter in a hug. " What is this for?" she mumbled. " I know... it's hard to separate from someone you love," 

" Oh," Ashley murmured and hugged her mom. " But I think you two will make it work baby, a powerful love can overcome anything," Rosalie continued. She cracked a smile after they broke out. " Thanks, mom, it means a lot," 

Emmett walked up to them. " Ready to see Eddy's gift?" he grinned. Ashley nodded. " Yes! Do you guys know what it is?" she asked as they started walking toward her room. " We do... but we won't tell," Rosalie replied. 

Ashley rolled her eyes playfully and walked inside her room. She spotted a small box on her desk. " Is that it?" she asked. Emmett nodded, still grinning. She grabbed it. It was a small box. Something that looked like it contained a watch or maybe a bracelet. 

She didn't really mind, the thought was enough. She wasn't even expecting a gift anyway. 

She opened the box. When she looked inside, she didn't see a watch or a bracelet. Instead, it was a car key. 

Ashley gasped loudly. " No..." she murmured. She turned to her parents. " No shit!" 

Emmett nodded again. " Yes, shit! It's down in the garage! Wanna see it?" he asked. 

" UH, YES I DO! LET'S GO!" 

So they rushed down to the garage. Inside, she immediately spotted a brand new shiny black Audi. " Oh my god!" She squealed and ran to the car. She sat inside and breathed in the new car smell. 

" THIS. IS. AMAZING." 

Rosalie and Emmett were standing next to the car, watching Ashley freak out happily. It really made them happy to see their baby girl happy like this. 

" How long have you guys been keeping this a secret from me?" she asked. Rosalie shrugged. " He bought it at the same time as he was buying Bella that Mercedes," she replied. " WOW," Ashley let out. 

They had really been keeping this a secret for a long time then. 

Jasper and Alice walked inside the garage. " Is everyone ready?" Alice asked. 

" For what?" Ashley asked. 

Jasper smirked. " We are going out," he replied.

" Since this is your last night, we decided to have a fun night out. We never got to properly celebrate your eighteenth birthday anyway, so think of it as a late birthday party!" Rosalie explained. 

Rosalie got in the car, next to Ashley while the others got in the back. " Plus, it is a chance for you to get used to driving this car," 

Ashley grinned. " Don't need to tell me twice. Where are we going though?" 

Emmet laid back on his seat. " Seattle," he replied. " You're a good driver, and this car can certainly handle the speed," 

" Yeah, we can't properly have a fun night out in Forks, no offense," Alice said. 

" Alright, Seattle it is," Ashley said and started the car. She handed her mom her phone to adjust the music, because if there was one absolute rule that she had while driving, it was that music needed to be on- no matter the length of the drive. 

This was the latest model and it was obvious Edward didn't cut back from spending money, it was also the highest package. The engine's roar as Ashley sped up once they got to the highway made her smile. 

She got used to these kinds of cars since her family was speed enthusiasts, but she was never actually one to drive when they did. And, since if they got in an accident, she'd be the only one in her family to be injured, they didn't drive that fast when she was in the car. 

Maybe the only exception was when she and her aunt came back to Forks to check on Bella, but that was it. They didn't go their usual extreme with Ashley around. 

Plus, Ashley could still be considered an amateur or a beginner, and she didn't feel confident enough to reach the speed her family did. She needed many years of practice until she could be as good as them. And as for their speed, she didn't feel comfortable enough to reach those numbers, god forbid, if she got in an accident or something, her life wouldn't be the only ones she'd put in danger and she didn't want to hurt someone else. 

It was selfish. To put other lives in danger knowingly. 

They got to Seattle a while later. It was around 1 AM. Normally, she would be going to sleep. But, her family was right, it was her last night before she 'flew out of the nest' and she wanted to spend it with them. She could always sleep tomorrow while her parents drove her. Or when she got there. Or later. 

She was a teenager that grew up with vampires that never slept, this wasn't her first time staying up all night. 

They went to a pub that was still open. After they parked the car Alice gave Ashley a fake I.D. " What is this?" she asked in surprise. Alice shrugged. " Fake I.D. None of us are legally twenty-one, we wouldn't want technicalities ruining our night," 

" Uhm.. okay? I'm not actually going to drink. I'll drive us back, won't I?" she asked back. " Yeah, but you still need to be of age to get inside kiddo," Jasper said, putting his arm around Alice. " Alright, let's go," 

Luckily they found a parking spot close to the pub and the walk was short. Ashley was a bit nervous as they entered and the guy at the door checked their I.D's. He let them in without any trouble. 

Ashley neared her aunt as they walked inside. " How did you manage this off?" she whispered. Alice shrugged and smiled. " I have connections," 

They sat at a table. " Alright, what are we all having?" Emmett asked to the table. Ashley was genuinely curious about it. Since they didn't normally eat or drink anything. " I'll have any non-alcoholic cocktail, please," she said. 

Alice grinned. " I want a bloody Mary," she said. " Double that," Rosalie added. " Jasp?" Emmett asked. Jasper shrugged. " Get me whatever you're getting yourself," he answered. Emmett nodded and got up to walk to the bar. 

" Okay, what is the plan?" Ashley asked. " Oh, this is just the beginning. We'll have some drinks, maybe play the darts, until we get sick of Emmett cheating somehow then we'll go to another bar to dance," 

An hour passed. Everyone was on either their second or third drink and were having fun. From the outside, they looked like a group of teenagers who were having a fun night out. 

Ashley was chuckling like crazy about a joke her uncle just told when the waiter approached their table. He put down a drink in front of Ashley. " Uhm... sorry. I didn't order this," she said.

The waiter smiled. " I know. It was sent over by that guy," he said and pointed to a guy sitting on the stools. The guy smiled and gave her a nod when she looked. 

" Okay, I'm killing him," Emmett breathed out as the waiter walked away. 

" Dad, no!" 

" Honey, no!" 

Ashley and Rosalie exclaimed at the same time. Emmett had already made his move to get up but Rosalie grabbed his hand and yanked him down fiercely. " Don't cause a scene," 

" Yeah, he probably thought I was desperate or something because I look like the only single one from the outside. I'll just ignore it, no biggie," Ashley said. 

Emmett glared at the guy. " I don't care," he murmured. He was shooting daggers out of his eyes at this point. 

Ashley rolled her eyes. " Dad, calm down," she said. 

" Maybe we should get out of here and go to the bar," Alice offered. 

" Great idea," Rosalie said. 

Ashley quickly finished her drink while Rosalie asked for the check. 

As they got up, Emmett threw his hand around his daughter protectively while Jasper stood on his left side, since the guy was seated on their left, and if he tried anything, he would stop Emmett. 

The rest of the night went fine. It was very fun except for whenever someone tried to make a move on Ashley and Emmett was seconds away from ripping the person to pieces. 

Around 4 AM, Ashley's energy finally ended. They attended a wedding before that and she was exhausted. Plus, for the past days, she was also packing to leave for college. She was tired. 

As Emmett went away to pay for their drinks the rest got up. 

" That was intense," Jasper sighed. 

Alice nodded. " Yeah, I really thought Em was gonna kill that last guy," 

" I'm so glad Edward hasn't told him about it. Otherwise, he'd certainly kill Paul," Rosalie breathed out.

Ashley gasped as she turned to her mother. Her heart had sped up and she panicked. " Tell him what?" 

Rosalie bit her lip as she tried to crack a smile. " Edward... he heard Paul's thoughts..." she said. 

Ashley's mouth fell open with surprise. This was bad. Oh no, it was so bad. "Do... Do all of you know?" 

It was embarrassing for her mom to know about it but her whole family? 

" We do..." Alice admitted. 

" Oh my god... I wanna die. This is so embarrassing..." She mumbled. 

Jasper snickered. " It's no picnic for us either," 

Ashley covered her face with her hands. She was cringing so hard right now. 

Luckily Emmett came out. " Let's go," he mumbled. " Okay," everyone murmured and started to walk toward the car. 

As they were walking, suddenly, Ashley was lifted to the air. Then, she realized Emmett had picked her up and put her on his shoulders, like he used to do when she was a kid. 

" Dad," she chuckled, " What are you doing?" 

Emmett shrugged as he kept on walking and pretended it was normal. " I told you I wanted to hold on to my little girl a little longer... You use to love this," he replied. 

Rosalie chuckled. " You really did... There was a time when you didn't walk anywhere and just let yourself be carried..." 

" It was those princess stories Alice read to her that inspired her," Jasper chimed in. 

Ashley smiled as she felt the cold air hit her face. For that split second, all of her worries about the future and her life faded out and she enjoyed that moment with her family. 

For some reason, she had a bad feeling inside that something bad would happen. She didn't know what and certainly didn't want anything bad to happen but it was a gut feeling. 

But as of that moment, she was carefree and back to being the kid she used to be with her family by her side. 

Ashley's eyes were closing by the time they reached the car so she gave the keys to her dad for him to drive them back while she sat on the back seat and snuggled to her mom, Jasper had taken the front seat, to sleep. 

Even though she grew up, sometimes, she still liked to sleep by her mother's side. It felt nice. It made her feel better, happier, and safer. 

The next morning, Ashley woke up in her bed. Her dad must've carried her there. It was around 8 AM, they needed to leave soon so even a couple of hours of sleep was enough for her now. 

She first grabbed her phone and texted Edward a thank you message for his present. She truly did love her present. 

After that, she got changed and went to the kitchen. Of course, her grandma cooked her breakfast-and her favorite things too. 

Right now, the whole family was in the kitchen with the exception of Edward since he was on his honeymoon. 

" Seems like you kids had fun yesterday night," Carlisle commented with a smile. 

Alice chuckled. " Yeah, except for Emmett almost killing the guys who hit on Ashley," 

Emmett groaned while the others chuckled. 

" Hope he doesn't have a heart attack with what Ashley will face in university," Esme said between her chuckles.

" Oh, god. I haven't even thought about that," Emmett mumbled. 

The rest burst into laughter. 

" Dad, I can manage myself. I'm my mother's daughter, thank you very much," 

Rosalie and Ashley shared a heartfelt smile as Emmett leaned on the counter, looking serious. " I mean it, baby, just one text. And I'll be there in a flash to kick their ass," 

Ashley rolled her eyes playfully. " Sure," she replied. 

Rosalie put her hands on her husband's shoulders. " I don't think that will be necessary baby. Our daughter knows how to handle herself," 

The breakfast went fine after that. The whole family shared a beautiful morning filled with a bit of sadness that Ashley was leaving but also happy that she was becoming her own adult. 

As she got close to finishing the breakfast, Jasper and Emmett left to load Ashley's stuff into the car. After she was done eating, she went to her room to get changed and prepare her bag. She out her laptop, wallet, phone, chargers, and a few other things to her bag then got changed to the outfit she picked out for the day. 

She took a deep breath as she eyed her room. She was used to leaving her room, since they moved a lot, but this time it felt different. This time, she was the one moving on. She was going to university! She had always dreamt of this moment, of going to college. 

All the movies and shows she'd seen, the books she read, it was supposed to be an amazing experience. And she couldn't wait for it. 

She slowly walked out of her room and into the living room where everyone was waiting for her. 

" Alright, no tears everyone, okay?" she asked. 

Esme let out a chuckle with tears already formed in her eyes. " No promises, I still remember the day we brought you home a baby," she said and embraced Ashley in a hug. 

" I'm going to miss cooking for you sweetie," she mumbled to her ear. " Me too, I'm sure the food they serve there won't be nearly as good as yours, grandma," 

Then it was Carlisle's turn. Then Jasper and Alice. Each hug lasted very long but they managed not to burst into tears and sob. 

Emmett and Rosalie would be driving Ashley to the campus, as it was the tradition, so she was sure they'd get their emotional scene in her dorm. She was glad about it, because she knew, if she said goodbye to her parents too, she'd start crying and if she started crying, so would everyone else. 

" Okay, it's time to go," she mumbled. " Stay well everyone... We'll talk," 

Alice pouted. " Don't forget to have fun! We can always wait to talk!" she said.

Ashley smiled and nodded. " Okay," 

" No much fun though... My heart would give out," Emmett commented.

His comment made everyone's moods go up, even for a while, as everyone either chuckled or smiled. " Dad, your heart can't give out," she replied. 

Emmett shrugged. " I'd rather not experience it anyway," 

" Okay, let's go," Rosalie said and the three of them went to the garage. Since it was the tradition that the parents would drive their kid to college, Ashley took the backseat while Emmett drove and Rosalie was shotgun. 

For the majority of the ride, they didn't talk much. They were all caught up on their own emotions and dived into their thoughts in silence. 

Both Rosalie and Emmett were overly emotional and had a hard time accepting that their baby was growing up. To them, she was still that little baby and now she was going to college. Seeing how fast she grew up made them emotional. It felt unreal. 

For Ashley, she was excited to step into the next part of her life. But she was also a bit nervous about this new path that she was getting into, and knowing her family wouldn't with her physically made her uneasy. She knew they raised her right to take on anything but this was the first time she'd be without her family. 

But hey, millions of teenagers her age did it, why couldn't she? 

It was not like her family would be getting out of her life, it'd just be that they'd be far away. But only a phone call away. 

And with their vampiric speed, if she had any problem, the tiniest problem, they would drop everything to come and help. That made her feel better. 

They reached the campus a couple of hours later. It wasn't hard to find her dorm. Ashley had a roommate, but it seemed like she didn't arrive yet as both parts of the room were empty. 

She decided to pick the right side of the room. 

Each of them was carrying either one or two boxes, any more would look suspicious. 

" Alright, you guys start unpacking, I'm gonna go get a few more," Emmett said and walked out. 

So Rosalie and Ashley started out with the stuff that was already there. " Okay, I'll handle the bed, you take care of your stuff," Rosalie instructed. Ashley nodded and started putting her stuff, laptop, chargers, make up, etc, to the drawers and over her desk after quickly texting Paul that they arrived to her dorm. 

Then she saw a box of condoms at the bottom of the box. " Um... mom, what is this?" she asked while taking it out. Rosalie shrugged. "Baby, let's not play dumb," she replied. 

" I know Paul and you will be visiting each other. Plus, it's college... You can't always expect the guy to be prepared and I want you to be safe," 

Ashley pressed her lips together. " Okay then," she mumbled and put the box inside one of the drawers. It was actually nice to see that her mom wasn't being crazy about this and being supportive. 

Rosalie was done quickly with the bed. " You know, I'm so proud of you," she said. Ashley stopped whatever she was doing and turned to her mother. " Thanks," she mumbled. 

" It's hard to accept that you are growing up... I still remember holding you in my arms like yesterday. I'm just so happy for you," Rosalie said. Ashley smiled in return. " It's just gonna be so weird not having you around all the time," 

She sighed. " I know... I'll miss you guys too, it's going to be weird for me not to have you guys around too," 

Rosalie hugged Ashley. They both thought this day would be emotional so it was no surprise. 

After that Rosalie forced a smile. " I'm gonna go help your dad," she said and walked out. Ashley took a breath and started to take out some of the photos she brought, either putting them on her nightstand or putting them in the edges of the mirror. 

Emmett walked in, holding two boxes and a suitcase. " Mom's gonna bring the rest," he said and put down the stuff. His eyes drifted to the pictures Ashley was hanging up. 

There were a couple with Paul but the majority was the family. Photos from the graduation, some childhood pictures of Ashley with her parents, and one from the wedding. 

" I remember that day," Emmett grinned, pointing to a picture. It was the first day of elementary school. Rosalie had braided Ashley's hair from both sides. She was smiling upon the picture. 

Ashley smiled too. " Yeah, me too," she replied. Emmett put one of his arms over her and pulled her closer. " You were fine until you realized that we would be separated. I remember how much you cried and stayed in my arms until we managed to calm you down," he sighed. 

Ashley laid her head on his shoulder. " Yeah," she sighed. " I'm not crying now," she murmured. His grin turned into a faint smile. " Right... you're not seven anymore," 

They stood silent as they eyed the photo. Then Emmett fake coughed and walked toward one of the boxes he carried. " I know you're not a kid anymore... but you'll always be my baby for me, and, and I know that you're becoming your own adult now and don't need us the way you use to, but I just wanted to leave this with you to be there with you. So you'll always know we'll be there for you," he said and took out a teddy bear.

Her eyes teared up when she spotted the bear. It was one of her first toys and up until a certain age, she wouldn't go to sleep without it. Since her dad had a weird thing with bears it gave her a strange sense of security. 

She took the bear and sat on the bed. " I know that, I promise," she said and put it beside her pillows. Emmett sat next to her and embraced her. 

They hugged until Rosalie walked in with the last of Ashley's stuff. " Okay," Ashley mumbled as she got up. " I'm getting kinda hungry. Let's quickly put everything to it's place and go to eat? Together?" 

" Sure baby, that works for us," Rosalie said. Emmett nodded too. " Let's get to work,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kinda a filler chapter before the drama of Breaking Dawn started. Please enjoy and don't be shy to leave your thoughts! All kinds of criticism is appreciated :)


	30. Twenty Nine

When Ashley got back to her room after saying her final goodbye to her parents, she found her roommate finally arrived. 

She was mostly done unpacking herself and she turned around when Ashley walked in. " Heyyyy, hi roomie, I'm Katy," she cheerfully said. Ashley smiled in return. " Hi, I'm Ashley," 

" It seems like you were here pretty early," Katy said. Ashley nodded as she sat on her bed. " Yeah, my family lives a couple of hours away. Do you need any help?" 

Katy shrugged as she was done putting her books and sat on her own bed. " Nope, thanks. That's cool. I'm from Alpine, Wyoming," 

" It's a pretty small town, it's okay if you haven't heard of it," she continued. Ashley smiled. " I'm from a small town myself, so I get it," 

Katy grinned. " So I guess it's just us two small-town girls against the big city?" 

Ashley chuckled. " I guess," 

After that, the girls left their room to grab milkshakes. Katy was also a bit hungry so she got some fries as well. They were killing time until they had to get to the orientation party that would happen tomorrow. 

As they arrived at the campus and learned their dorm, they were also given the 'beginner kit', a file with all the necessary information they needed to know about the orientation. On the schedule, it said that there was a party for freshmen. 

" I mean, shouldn't the party be in a few days? After everyone gets to know each other?" Katy asked. Ashley shrugged. " I know! And it says there will be a tour of the campus tomorrow at 9! If there's a party how's everyone going to wake up that early?" 

Katy snickered. " Maybe we won't. Wake up I mean. Maybe the party ends in the morning and we directly start the tour," 

" I think that only happens at the movies," Ashley chuckled. 

Katy shrugged as she chuckled too. " I wouldn't know, small-town girl, remember?" 

As they kept talking on Ashley's phone continued vibrating. Eventually, she had to excuse herself and check it. They were messages from Paul. She had texted him when she arrived with her parents but ever since then she was busy with settling into text him back. 

" Are those your parents? I shut mine off," Katy said and took a sip from her milkshake. 

Ashley smiled. " No, it's my boyfriend," she glanced at her before looking back down to her phone to text back. Paul was saying that he had already missed her and that Jared was making fun of him because of it. 

" Cool! You've got a boyfriend?" 

Ashley nodded. " Yeah, I do. His name is Paul," she said, " He's back home and we're trying the long-distance thing," she continued. 

Katy grinned. " Oh, that's great! I actually knew this couple from high school who tried long-distance, it worked out for them," 

" Oh, well, that's nice, 

Time passed and the girls found themselves at the party. Luckily, they spotted other freshmen they recognized from the dorm and followed them so it was easy to find the location. They could hear the music before they even got close to the people. 

As soon as they mixed into the crowd some guy handed them drinks. Ashley and Kate shared a look. " We are definitely not drinking that," Kate said. Ashley nodded. They definitely weren't going to drink something that someone they didn't know just handed to them. 

Kate grinned and grabbed Ashley's cup. She poured them to a trash can and put out something from her purse. " But we are drinking this!" she exclaimed. 

" Where did you get this?" Ashley asked. Kate shrugged. " Stole it from my house before I left. My parents didn't realize it," she answered. 

To be honest, Ashley knew there were still three years until she was legally able to drink. But she had drunk before with her family and a couple of times in some high school parties she went to. There was also last night where she went to Seattle with her family in which she drank too. She was responsible enough. 

And, really, who did really wait until they were able to drink legally anyway? 

As Ashley took a sip she heard the new song being blasted through the speakers, one of her favorites and she started smiling. She had many fears about starting university but so far, everything was going so well. 

A week has passed. Ashley's first week at university. 

She had to admit, not having her family around school was different for her. She was used to them being around. Even when she was at elementary or middle school, her family would come by from time to time to check on her. 

She wasn't homesick but she was family sick, if that made sense. She was used to living in such a way and now that she was on her own, by herself, she had a little trouble settling into her new 'normal'. 

She actually called everyone a couple of times already and it made her feel better already, just to hear their voices. 

She was now on one of the cafes on campus, sitting with a few other Architecture majors she met over the week. They seemed like nice people. They hung out a couple of times already but it never hurt to spend more time. 

Her phone vibrated and Ashley saw that she received a message from Kate. It only said for her to come to the room, now. 

She quickly mumbled an apology to her friends and explained the situation and left. She had texted Kate to learn what was going on and why she had to rush back to their room but all she said was that she needed to come as soon as possible. 

Of course, with Ashley's luck, the cafe she was on was at the other side of the campus from the dorms. As she power walked, maybe even running a bit as well, she really wished to have the super speed her family had. 

When she reached the stairs to her dorm's floor, she found Kate there talking to Mandy, another girl that lived across their room. " Kate," she gasped. 

Kate turned to her and burst out laughing. " Dude, look at you," she chuckled, " I didn't know you'd be this fast. Wow, I expected a couple more minutes," 

" You said to come now," she let out as she tried to catch her breath. Kate chuckled again. " Yeah, I didn't think you'd become Usain Bolt," 

Ashley rolled her eyes. " Anyway, I'm here now, what is the emergency?" she asked. Kate smiled. " You'll see," she replied. 

" What?" Ashley mumbled in confusion. Kate chuckled. " By the way, I'm crashing at a friend's tonight, so get comfortable," she said as she grabbed Ashley's arm and gently pushed her to the corridor of their room. 

She was about to start complaining about what the hell was going on and why was Kate acting this way when she spotted the body standing next to their room's door. 

" Paul?" she asked. He turned around and flashed a smile. " Surprise?" he said. 

Before she could even say 'oh my god', her legs had started to move toward him and soon she was embraced inside his arms. 

" When you said you had something planned, I thought you meant a face time or something," she mumbled. Paul chuckled and kissed the top of her head. " Nah, I couldn't do this over face time," he replied and held her tighter. 

After their hug ended Ashley opened the door. " My original plan was to surprise you at the door, I even borrowed Sam's truck so you wouldn't suspect anything, but you weren't here. Luckily, your roomie, by the way, she seems nice, offered to help, and," Paul started explaining as they went inside. 

Ashley locked the door and that made him stop talking. " What's going on?" he asked. Ashley smirked. " I missed you," she simply said. He smiled. " I missed you too," 

" You know, I'm used to you not wearing much clothing, let's fix that," she said and took a step toward him. He smirked and within seconds, their bodies crashed into each other as Paul's jacket fell to the floor. 

Ashley had to admit, she was really glad her mom packed her some condoms. Rosalie was right, she would use them. 

They were now in her bed, strangled in each other. " Shouldn't we be getting dressed? Your roommate," he started but she cut him off by kissing him. 

" My roommate might be the greatest wingwoman there ever is, she said she's gonna crash at her friend's," she continued. He smiled. " Nice," he mumbled. " I missed you so much," he continued. She smiled up at him. " It's only been a week," 

She looked up at him. " But, I know. I missed you too," she replied and gave him a kiss. After that paul smiled. " Baby, I would love nothing more than to stay here with you like this... but," he said and Ashley joined him as he finished his sentence, " I'm hungry," 

She giggled. " I figured, you wolf," she snickered and got up. Paul smirked. " Sorry," he mumbled. She smiled and they started to get dressed. Once they were done, they left the room, holding hands. 

As they were walking, Ashley turned to Paul. " When you get back, can you ask Leah to return my texts? She hasn't replied in two days," she said. Paul furrowed his brows. " You've been texting with Leah?" he asked. 

Ashley shrugged. " Of course, she's my friend... Why?" she replied. Paul bit his lip. " I don't know... It's Leah. She's not friendly," he responded. She rolled her eyes at him. " It's because you guys never bothered to be nice to her. She's been through a lot and you guys being jackasses to her naturally doesn't make her want to be nice to you too," she shot. 

Paul looked down. He didn't answer for a while. " Just... Just ask her to reply to me, okay?" she asked. She knew there was nothing wrong with the pack or the members, otherwise, Paul wouldn't be here. Ashley knew that much. 

So the only conclusion she reached was that something was wrong with Leah. Ashley had meant what she said, she really liked Leah and was friends with her. And just because she was away from her didn't mean she wouldn't be there for her friend. 

They walked inside the cafe inside the campus and ordered food as other topics were brought up and they had a good time. 

Three days later Ashley ran out of her dorm to meet with Leah. Paul went through with his promise. Leah replied back a couple of hours after Paul returned to Forks. They arranged a hangout and Leah came to the campus. 

She said it'd be good for her to leave the reservation a bit, since all Sam and Emily could talk about was their wedding. And although Ashley was happy for them she also understood that it was still hard for Leah. 

Luckily, Ashley found Leah quite easily and gave her a warm hug. "So, how do you like the campus?" she asked her. Leah put her hands inside the pockets on her jacket and took a look around after her question. 

" Nice, I guess," she mumbled. " It's more important what you think of it, rather than me. You're the student here," 

Ashley nodded. " Fair. Yeah, I like it. Some people who aren't used to the weather are complaining but I'm used to it," she replied. " Wanna grab a coffee?" 

At first, Leah was cold and distant, her usual self, but after a while she let her guard down and let Ashley in. She started talking more, actively joining the conversation and even made a few jokes. 

She seemed more comfortable to be around Ashley and generally in her own skin. She wasn't wearing her usual smug face and her emotions could be read from her face. Like the way, her face lighted up whenever she mentioned her family, especially Seth. 

It turned out Leah wasn't as broad and plain as Paul and the other guys made her out to be. She and Ashley had many things in common from favorite TV shows to books. She was generally a nice person to be around and Ashley had decided she really liked hanging out with her. 

They hung out for a couple of hours and after sundown, Leah left. She was driving back to Forks and it was already late. Both of them didn't know or realize how fast time went by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning to publish the next chapter within the next hours, max a day, in which the Breaking Dawn drama finally starts! Just be warned, I'll be changing a few of the canon plots within the BD plotline to fit into my story better


	31. Thirty

Ashley huffed in annoyance as she walked out of her class and through to her dorm room. It was a Friday and she had a two-hour gap between her classes. Then it was the weekend. She was thinking of ditching the class and going home to see her family. 

They hadn't come to visit her but that wasn't the problem. For the last couple of days, no one was responding. Not to her calls, her texts. Not her family, not Paul, not Leah. Which only brought bad thoughts to her mind. 

What if something had happened between them? 

Ashley didn't want to think about it but what else could be the explanation? Had it maybe had something to do with Edward and Bella again? 

Sure, the treaty said that they couldn't harm humans or turn them but it was the human in question who wanted to be turned. That technically wasn't a breach in the treaty. Well, there were too many unknown variables when the equatiın involved teenage shifters and forever frozen in time teenage vampires. 

Ashley's phone started ringing. 

Without looking at the caller she answered it. It was probably her family or Paul anyway. Or maybe her roommate. 

" Ashley?" 

It was not. 

" Chief Cullen?" Ashley asked. Why was he calling? He was the police chief and maybe he was calling because something happened to her family. It was his job to inform the next of kin. 

Oh, god. 

" Yes. Hi. Sorry if it's an inconvenient time," he quickly mumbled.

" No, no. Of course not. What's going on?" Ashley asked, her heart beating in her mouth. 

" Well, that's what I was trying to figure out actually. What is going on?" he asked. 

Ashley furrowed her brows suspiciously. 

" Regarding what?" Ashley answered back, dumbfounded. 

She heard him take a deep breath. 

" Look, kid, I can't play these games. Your father is not telling me anything. I need to know. What's going on with my daughter? Is she okay? What happened?" 

Bella? What was wrong with Bella? She was supposed to be on her honeymoon with Edward. Edward was in control, he claimed that. And, and...

Oh. 

If Ashley's grandpa told Charlie something it would mean that Bella was turned. 

Oh, god. They had to fake her death and then start somewhere new. But, wasn't it too soon? Edward told Ashley over the phone a couple of days ago that Bella was leaning toward the idea of staying a human a little bit more. 

What had gone wrong? 

" Dr.Cullen tells me she's sick and that, that he can't cure it. That she went away, somewhere. At least tell me where she went," Charlie pleaded over the phone. 

Ashley sighed. She was feeling bad about what she was about to do. She could understand the desperation in his voice but it was for his own good that he was left out of the loop. 

" I'm so sorry Chief Swan but I think if my dad saw it fit, he'd tell you. I don't think it'd be appropriate for me to behind his back," she said. " Take care," she added quickly and ended the call. 

But, something was nagging her mind when she entered her room. It was early, too damn early for Bella to be turned. Plus, if she was, her family would inform her. So that she would stay away. But this, this radio silence, it didn't make any sense. 

Not all of them were babysitting newborn Bella, so why the hell weren't they answering the phone? What about the pack? What the hell was going on? Plus, Edward promised her that he would come to visit once he was back. He didn't. 

Something was going on and Ashley was being left out of the loop. And she knew for a fact that Bella wasn't turned yet, because she would be informed. And she was going to find it out. 

She quickly dropped her school things and prepared a small bag with some clothes, her wallet, charger and phone. Then, she grabbed her keys and rushed to her car. She was driving back to Forks and getting some answers. 

It was going to take her about eight hours to drive there, maybe a bit more. She'd make it there a bit after midnight. If only she had the guarantee of the rest of her family so that she could drive fast like them and make it there faster. 

On the way there she tried calling her family a couple more times but to no avail. 

Just like she predicted she made it there around midnight. She passed through the town and went directly to the house. 

She didn't have the time to park the car inside the garage so she parked it outside and went out. Jasper was waiting for her at the door. " Ashley..." he started but she cut her off.

" What's going on? And don't tell me nothing, because I know something is up," she said sternly. Jasper sighed and closed the door. " Come up, kiddo," 

She motioned toward the stairs and quickly went up. Her parents and grandmother were waiting for her at the top. " Why aren't any of you answering my calls?" she asked. 

" Well, honey, a situation has arised," Esme said. " But we didn't know you were coming," Rosalie added and looked toward Alice who was walking toward them. " I didn't see it... I was focused elsewhere, you know," she mumbled clear enough for Ashley to get it. 

Ashley sighed. " I'm here. So you can tell me what is going on, irregardless. Chief Swan called me so I know something's up,"

" What did you tell him?" Emmett asked. 

She shrugged. " Nothing, of course," she replied and crossed her arms over her chest. 

Then Jacob walked out of the living room and toward them. " Just tell her, she's gonna find out soon anyway," he said nonchalantly. Rosalie glared at him. Ashley was shocked to find him here. What the hell was he doing here? 

" Don't give me that look, I came here just like you, to find out what's up," he said to her as if he read her mind. 

She turned back to her parents. " Well?" she mumbled. 

" Edward and Bella are back," Rosalie finally said. " They came back yesterday," Emmett added. 

Okay, they were back. Ashley was a bit sad not to be informed of their arrival but if Jacob was here it meant something was seriously wrong. And if Jacob was here it probably meant Bella wasn't turned, yet. 

" Where are they?" she asked. " She's sleeping," Jacob replied. 

If she was sleeping, she definitely wasn't turned then. 

" Chief Swan said that she was sick. What happened?" Ashley asked. 

All of them looked at each other. An awkward silence filled the room. 

" Bella... she's, she's... pregnant," Esme finally said. 

Ashley didn't even try to hide her surprise as she gasped. 

" How?" she managed to let out. 

Jacob sighed and walked back inside the living room. Her parents and grandmother were looking at her with sympathetic looks. " We don't know, exactly," 

" Well, where is Edward?" she asked. Esme pointed to the living room with her head. She walked inside and found Bella on the couch with a blanket over her, sleeping. Edward was by her side. Jacob was at the corner of the room, glaring at Edward. 

Bella looked... not good. She was pale, she looked like she had lost weight except for her belly. Her face was looking like she hadn't seen the sunlight or had anything to eat for a few months. She looked horrible. 

Edward gave her a look, his face full of pain. " Please," he murmured. Ashley bit her lip as she tried to think of something else. She slowly walked toward them, trying to contain her thoughts and face. 

" So, uhm, welcome back," she mumbled. 

Edward sighed. " I'm sorry Chief Swan called you, we didn't tell him. We only told him that she was sick and getting treated somewhere," he said. 

Ashley nodded. " What's... What's going to happen now?" she asked. 

" I don't know. She wants to... to have it. It'll kill her but she doesn't want to give it up," Edward gritted through his teeth. 

" How far along is she? How do you already know she's pregnant? You married a few weeks ago," she said. 

Edward slowly put up the blanket to reveal Bella's bump. It looked like she was a couple of months along. " We don't know but it's progressing faster than a human. Carlisle's researching, trying to find anything... but we all know it," 

Ashley took a deep breath. " I don't understand how it's possible. I mean... aren't you guys... infertile? Those parts frozen?" 

" Apparently not," Jacob hissed. 

Edward completely ignored him and turned to Ashley. " We don't understand it either. It was supposed to be impossible," he said. " Can you... can you talk to her tomorrow?" he asked. 

" She doesn't listen to me, to any of us. This thing will kill her. Maybe you can get through to her," he pleaded. 

Jacob chuckled. " We have all talked to her. She won't change her mind. What do you think she's gonna do?" 

Edward looked at him. "Won't hurt to try," 

As they started to gave a glaring contest the rest of the family walked in. " Even though I'm happy she's here... Ashley needs to leave," Carlisle said. " It's not safe for her," 

Ashley furrowed her brows. " What? Why?" she exclaimed. " What aren't you telling me?" 

" We haven't fed in weeks," Alice said bluntly. " At first, because we had before the wedding but, now it's because the pack is outside. Waiting for our weakest moment to attack. They think that the situation with Bella has breached the Treaty and they want to kill all of us," 

So, that was why no one was answering her calls and texts. Her family was imprisoned in the house while her boyfriend was the one who imprisoned them. 

Jacob shrugged. " Don't worry, no one is going to harm her. She's an imprint. The pack can't harm her," he said. 

" Well, that doesn't ease me, dog," Rosalie hissed. " Mom!" Ashley exclaimed. 

What the hell happened? How did it all go so wrong so fast? 

" Wait," she said and turned to Jacob. " If the pack is going to attack, what are you doing here?" she asked. Jacob sighed. " I left the pack. I won't let them harm Bella," he said. 

Great. Just great. 

" Well, what are you going to do? Just wait like sitting ducks? What's the plan?" she asked the family. It was obvious Sam was set on his decision and so were the pack subsequently. 

Alice bit her lip. " There is only one thing to do. Take the fetus out. It has caused all of this, if it goes away, everything will be fine," 

Rosalie turned to her. " We had this conversation just yesterday. It's a baby Alice! Say it! We can't find a solution if you guys won't accept that it is a baby!" 

" The only solution is to get rid of it!" Alice hissed back. 

" Are we certain of what Bella wants? It's her body, should be her choice," Ashley said. 

" Her choice affects all of us now," Jasper chimed in. 

Jacob crossed his arms. " That's what Sam said," he spat. 

" Okay, okay, what else but to take it out?" Ashley asked.

Emmett sighed. " Fight, obviously," he answered. 

" But you said you guys haven't fed! Will you be strong enough to defend yourselves?" Ashley replied. 

Rosalie looked at her daughter. " We'll have to be," 

Jacob looked at Bella then sighed. " I'm gonna go check on Seth and Leah," he said. 

" Wait, Leah is here?" Ashley asked. 

He nodded. " Yeah... she and Seth decided to follow after me and left the pack," he said, sounding a bit guilty. 

" I'll come with you," she said. 

Esme called after them. " I made sandwiches, take them with you," 

Seth and Leah were inside the forest, by the river, their backs turned to the house, looking to the darkness. " Leah," Ashley called out. She turned around and Ashley gave her a hug. " I just found out. Are you okay?" she asked. 

Leah nodded. " Yeah. I can't hear him anymore. Which is... good. I think. I feel like I can finally breathe," she replied with a faint smile. " But, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here," she said. 

" You know they won't hurt me," Ashley replied. 

Leah bit down her lip. " I know. I didn't mean them," she said. 

" Leah... They won't hurt me. They're family," Ashley said back. 

Leah shrugged. " But they're hungry. Their eyes aren't even yellow anymore. You're the only one who can't defend herself in this house," 

" I know. We'll find a solution. It'll be fine, I promise," she said then handed her a sandwich. " My grandma sent them," 

Jacob gave the other one to Seth who immediately started eating it. " You know, for someone who doesn't eat, she cooks pretty well," he said. 

Ashley smiled. " Yeah, she cooked for me a lot," then she turned toward the forest. " Are they... out there?" 

Jacob nodded. " Yes," 

Ashley decided to stay against all odds. The next morning, after breakfast, she went in to talk to Bella. Not just to do what Edward asked her to do but to talk to her friend. 

" Hey," she said as she sat next to her. 

" Hi," Bella said. 

" So, uhm, a phone call would have been appreciated," Ashley said as a joke to lighten up the mood. 

Bella chuckled. " Yeah, sorry. Must've slipped my mind," 

" How are you? Really?" she asked her. 

Bella shrugged. " Okay, I guess. I know I can do this. The others don't believe so but I know, I know I can do it, Ashley. I don't want to give up on him. This might be my only chance," she said. 

" Yeah... But is it really worth it? They tell me you can die," 

Bella shrugged again. " It's a possibility, yes. But one I'm willing to take. As soon as he's born I can, I can... well, you know," she said. 

Ashley nodded. The others weren't lying when they said Bella was adamant about this. 

" Look," Bella sighed, " I only needed one person to stand with me to stop them. Rose gets me, gets what this opportunity is. But I would appreciate a bit more support than that," 

It took a second for Ashley to understand what Bella was asking of her. 

" So... you're besties with my mom now?" she asked. 

They chuckled. " Seems so," Bella replied. Then she reached out and took Ashley's hand. " Will you help me?" she asked. 

Ashley took a deep breath. " Look, Bella, I like you. You're my friend and now you're officially my family. So I want you to be okay and happy and alive. Please. But, as I said to them yesterday night, this is your decision. It's your body. I know the circumstances aren't exactly humane but you're still the mom. No one else can make this kind of decision about you. Even if they or I don't approve of it, it's still you so... yes. If this is what you want and even if I know it might kill you, I'm on your side. It's your choice," 

Bella smiled. " Thank you," she whispered. 

" But I really don't want to lose you. And I don't want them to fight with the pack," she added. Bella nodded. " I understand, I don't want them to fight too. But, against everything, I want to have this baby," 

Ashley smirked. " I was supposed to come in here to talk you out of it, not be your ally," she said. 

Bella giggled. " Well, things don't always work out according to plan, clearly," 

Just then Rosalie came inside with a tray. It had food and water on it. " I thought you guys might be hungry," she said with a smile and put the tray down to the table. 

" Thanks, mom," Ashley said. 

Rosalie smiled and hugged Ashley. She kissed the top of her head. " I know the others don't approve, but they don't know it, what it is to be a mother. Except Esme. I'm not the one to deny anyone this, even if it might kill you, Bella. If it's what you want, we'll fight to the end,"


	32. Thirty One

In the following couple of days, something bad happened. Carlisle did a check-up on Bella. It wasn't good. He said that the baby wasn't compatible with her body. That it was hurting her body and she wasn't going to make it until birth. 

Edward didn't take that lightly and they had a fight. After that Ashley and Rosalie helped Bella to take a shower. She was even thinner now, her bones could be seen. And her skin looked sick. She was dying a little bit every day. Even breathing was hard for her. 

The whole family was around her all the time, monitoring her. Plus Jacob. Sometimes he went out of the house to be with Leah and Seth. Sometimes Ashley joined her. But she was mainly by Bella's side to assist her. 

She had told her that she wasn't happy with her decision and that she didn't want to lose her friend even if she agreed to support whatever choice she made. And just because she was going to be by her side didn't mean she was happy with the choice. But Bella needed friends right now and Ashley was going to do just that. 

The Cullens weren't feeding and Ashley could see how hard it was becoming for them. Their eyes darkened every day. She meant what she said, that her family wouldn't hurt her but it still hurt her to see them in pain. 

They were staying away from her just to be sure. Ashley didn't mind it but she hoped to find a solution for it soon. She didn't know how long they could hold on like this. 

She didn't go back to school. Her family insisted on it, for her to be safe, but Ashley refused. It was the first week anyway and if things got bad between the pack, she hoped to be the solution. She couldn't leave her family out to dry when things were like this. 

Now, they were all in the living room. Emmett, Alice and Jasper watching a football match, Bella lying in the sofa with Jacob by her side to keep her warm. Esme and Rosalie were on the couch next to them. Edward was on the other chair. Carlisle was standing up, his eyes on Bella. 

Jacob and Bella were talking about something when Bella got up as if she was going to throw up. Edward immediately brought the bin closer to her. 

" We need to find a way to get some food into her system," Esme said. Bella had the reflex to throw up but since she wasn't eating anything nothing was coming out. 

Bella laid back on the couch. " If only I could see the fetus," Alice sighed. " Baby," Rosalie corrected her. "Maybe I could figure out what he wants," Alice continued.

Edward locked at Jacob who briefly had a smug face. " I think you might be right," he said than turned toward Carlise. " Jacob just had an idea," 

" It wasn't an idea. It was a snide comment," Jacob smirked. " What were you thinking?" Carlisle asked all serious. 

" That it's probably just looking for someone to sink its teeth into," Jacob said. As soon as he said that the expressions of the others changed. They looked like they were in horrible pain. Especially Jasper and Emmett. Ashley felt so bad. 

Bella looked up. " He's thirsty," she announced. " I know the feeling," Emmett murmured. Edward moved in his chair. " If its craving its not going to want animal blood," 

Carlisle let down his arms. " I have some 0 negative I laid aside for Bella," he said and got moving. Jasper turned to him with a shocked and pained expression. " Walk with me," Alice said and grabbed his hand. They walked out of the room together. Emmett soon followed. 

Jacob was against it and he moved further from Bella as Carlisle poured the blood from the bag to the cup. Bella drank it. Even after a few sips, the theory was proven right. Her heartbeat fastened and some color came back to her face. 

Two days passed. Drinking blood really helped Bella. She seemed better. She had called her father to tell him that she was going to a facility in Switzerland. Carlisle was positive that Bella would give birth soon, as early as the next day. And they were running out of blood bags. Plus, the family needed to feed.

While Edward went to be by her side Ashley went outside. Jacob, Seth and Leah were there. " How did Charlie take it?" Jacob asked. Ashley shrugged. " Not good," she murmured. " I'll go check on her," he said and motioned toward the house. 

Leah gave Ashley a look. " When was the last time you talked to him?" she asked. Ashley sighed. " Before all of this. He wasn't answering any calls or texts. It's been over a week," she replied. 

" Well, they've been monitoring this place, so I'm not surprised," Leah said. " Are you mad at him?" she followed up. 

Ashley crossed her arms and took a deep breath. " Yes. I know I shouldn't be, but I am. Did he even protest such an order? This is my family. It's not something I can forgive," she said. 

" For the record, he did protest," Seth said. " He only wanted to get rid of Bella, which was the problem. But when it came to the rest of them, he was against it," 

Ashley smiled at him. " Thanks for telling me," she said. Seth nodded. " He's a good guy, a bit annoying at times, but a good person. I didn't want it to come this. But I knew the second Sam said we had to attack that stuff would change," 

They stood in silence for a bit as Leah and Seth started eating the sandwiches. Meanwhile, Jacob walked out of the house. He seemed to be in a mood. " Can we talk?" he asked Ashley. 

She was surprised at that but nodded. " Privately," he added, looking at Leah and Seth. Leah sighed and they walked away. " What's up?" she asked. 

" Look, I just talked to the Doctor. He says Bella could give birth tomorrow and they are down to the last bag of blood for her. Plus, they need to feed," 

Ashley nodded at the last part. " I know! But you said the pack is out there and they will attack," she said. " Yes, which is why we need to create a distraction for them. Long enough for your family to... er, feed," 

" We?" she furrowed her brows. Was Jacob actually asking for her help? She always got the vibe from him that he didn't like her. 

He nodded. "Yes," he said. " I know Sam won't show up but he'll send Jared and Paul. And the others. We need to stall them. Now, I have a plan that could stall them for a few minutes but... I think having you there would help with Paul. And since he's the most hothead, if he's calm, I'm counting the others will be too," 

" Do you think it will work?" she asked. " I don't know but I hope so. That's our only chance and only we can do it. Your family need to go out and.... so that they can help Bella and get that thing out of her," 

Ashley chewed on her lip. " I agree that they, especially grandpa, needs to be at his best for the best outcome. Alright, I'm in. When will we do it?" 

Jacob looked toward the horizon. " When the sun is down. So your family don't attract too much attention," he said. The sun had already started to fade which meant that it was soon. 

An irritating feeling covered Ashley's stomach. She was going to see Paul for the first time since he came to visit. And even though it hadn't been that long, so much had changed. She knew he and her family were enemies but to this extent... Paul was ready to go to war with her family. 

It didn't exactly make them on the best terms when her boyfriend was on a mission to kill her entire family. 

Jacob quickly went over the plan with Seth and Leah and by the time he was done the sky was almost dark. They went inside the forest, to where the wolves thought the rest of the pack was. " By the way, I haven't exactly got the approval from your folks... about your help," Jacob murmured to Ashley. 

She faintly smiled. " Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," he replied. He nodded. " Stay back until the right time. You're our wild card and I don't want to tip them off. If you come out later, it will buy us more time," he added. 

Ashley stood behind a giant tree as the wolves took a few steps forward. They scattered around to find the closest location to the pack. 

" Jake! They're coming!" Seth announced as he and his sister rushed toward Jacob's side. " I know," Jacob answered. "We should phase Jacob. We can't protect ourselves like this," Leah offered. 

Ashley gulped. Would the pack really attack them too? Members of their own tribe? Even if they left the pack, they were still connected, would they really be that ridden with vengeance that they'd hurt them? 

Jacob shook his head. " They'll see it as a threat," he said. " I want to talk!" he yelled toward the forest. " It'd be easier if I could hear you too!" 

Loud noises came above them. Heavy paw noises shifted into foot steps. Then, Paul emerged first. Jared joined him. Paul looked pissed. He spat on the ground. " This isn't your territory anymore!" 

" How's your new family work out now?" he asked. Jacob rolled his eyes. " That's bold, coming from you," he answered. Paul motioned to move forward but Jared held him off. " You done?" Jacob asked. 

Quil and Embry walked out next. " You coming home Jake?" Quil asked. " Not until I finish this," Jake answered. " What do you mean?" Paul asked. 

" I want Sam to take back Leah and Seth," Jacob said. That instantly got a reaction out of the Clearwater siblings. Ashley gasped in surprise. Was this Jacob's master plan for distraction? What the hell was he trying to do? He shushed them off. 

" I want them safe. And I want this over," Jacob continued. " How do we know we can trust you? you've already betrayed us once before! You left us for them!" Paul spat. 

Jacob leaned his head to the side. " I left you for her! For her safety! She is still a human and the treaty must protect her. If you won't uphold it... then I will," he spat back. " Plus, I have proof that I'll keep my promise," 

" Yeah? What is that?" Embry asked. Jacob turned toward Ashley and she got that it was her cue to come out. Her eyes were pointed to one person only as she walked toward Jacob. Paul's hardened face immediately smoothed. " Ashley," he mumbled. 

She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look stern. " So, your new hobby is to hunt down my family while I am away?" she asked. 

" Ashley..." Paul started but she cut him off. " They haven't broken the Treaty. They're still upholding it. Bella is human, they didn't harm her," she continued. 

" Ashley," Jared tried to cut in but she glared at him to shut him up. " This is my family and you are trying to kill them. Are you aware what will it do to me? Taking my whole family away? How were you planning to look at me afterwards? How do any of you? You told me I was a part of your pack, how do you think I will still be by your side if you kill my entire family?" 

Paul looked speechless against her words. " What was the next phase of your plan, huh? Your pack is divided into two, you're about to go to a goddamned war and about to kill a human girl who happens to be my friend! What will happen afterwards? How will any of you be able to live with the fact that you killed a girl?" 

Her eyes were now teary but she stood her ground. 

" I want Sam to wait until Bella's been separated from the problem," Jacob took over. Paul was clenched his teeth. " You mean until she's dead!" 

Embry looked at Paul. " Ease up Paul," he said. He glared at him then turned to Ashley. " Bella's a human... for now. There are two options for her now, either death or becoming one of them. This is what they do Ashley. They are the reason it has come to this, not us," 

He sighed. " What, then?" he asked Jacob. " Tell Sam that, when the moment comes... I'll be the one to destroy it," he said coldblooded. Ashley turned to him in shock. Was this his plan all along? Bella would never forgive him. 

" Jake!" Seth protested from behind them while the others seemed kind of satisfied with what he said. " I'm the only one who can," Jacob continued. " They trust me," he said with a side glance to Ashley. 

Was that supposed to be a signal or was he actually going to go through with it? If that was the case, she should tell her family. Tell Bella. Was this why Jacob didn't tell her family his plan included Ashley? So that he could play her as a pawn in his own endgame? 

Tears rushed to her eyes as she looked at Jacob in disbelief. " No... you can't. I..." she was having trouble making out words. She looked back to Paul and then to Jacob then back to Paul. " You're all the same..." she murmured and took a few steps back.

Paul took a step forward to go after her but she started running. Running away from them. How could she be so naive? The pack wanted to kill her family and Jacob wanted to kill the baby. If they got what they wanted, all of her family would be gone. She would have no one left. She would loose her family all over again be left an orphan all over again. And the pack, her second family, or she thought they were, were the ones who would do it. 

She started crying on her way back to the house. She heard loud howling coming from the forest. " You played us!" she heard Paul roar. She didn't turn back. She tried to make her way back to the house as fast as possible to warn them. 

She didn't. 

Somewhere on the way, she lost her way back to the house and she fell on the ground. Instead of trying to get up she crawled toward a tree, crouched down and started crying. She knew she should get up and go back to the house to warn them. Warn Bella. But she couldn't. 

It was all too much. How the hell everything went so bad so freaking fast? Her head was pounding. 

" Ashley, Ashley!" Paul called out. What was he doing here? She tried to stop crying so that he wouldn't hear her but it was too late. He emerged between two big trees. " Ashley," his thick voice had softened. 

He walked towards her. She tried to crawl back on the ground. " No, NO! Don't come close," she made out. " Stay away!" 

Paul stopped and took a deep breath. " Okay, okay," he said softly. " I just want to help you," he added. She looked up at him. It was ironic. " Yeah? BY KILLING MY FAMILY?" she exclaimed. He sighed. 

" I never wanted it to come to that. I tried to stop Sam. But... But he's the Alpha. I've got no say," he explained. The worst part was that Ashley knew that he was telling the truth. Seth had confirmed it. But him still being a part of it was... it was... unacceptable. 

She wiped away her tears. " You could have at least warned them. Could have told me!" she argued. He clenched his teeth. " Jacob did that. And. And, Jesus Christ Ashley! How could I have told you? Call you casually, ask about your school then say 'hey, by the way, the pack decided to kill the Cullens, no biggie, have fun at school'?"

" So, instead, you decided to ignore me?" she asked. He shook his head. " No. From the moment Sam decided that... we've been on duty. I didn't got the chance to see your messages to ignore them," 

Ashley slowly got up. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. " So... you're really going to do it?" she asked. He looked down. " We've got no choice. Unless they kill that thing. If they try to protect it... we can't do anything," 

" Then, why aren't you with them right now? You realized our plan. Shouldn't you be hunting down my family with the rest of the pack?" Ashley spat the question. " We did. and we were furious. But all of that, the pack, the Cullens, the plan, Jacob, the distraction... They are not the most important thing to me. They haven't been for a long time. I... I needed to talk to you," 

She bit the insides of her cheek. She knew that was true but it still didn't change what he had been up to the last few days. What was really fucked up about this situation was that she knew. She knew he didn't want to do it but he had no other choice. But it still pissed her off. 

" Did you do it on purpose?" he asked. " Join Jacob, coming to talk. To be a distraction," he looked hurt. She crossed her arms. " Yes," she said slowly. " My family needed the distraction. They were going to starve otherwise, I couldn't let that happen," she answered. " You know how important family is to me," she added. 

He nodded. " I thought we were your family too. That I was too," he replied. She grabbed her arms with her fingers even more before answering. " Family doesn't kill each other, Paul," she spat. 

They stood there for a few moments, not saying anything but just looking at each other. Ashley was angry and terrified. No matter what happened she would lose one part of her family, of herself. And she didn't want that. Wasn't ready for that. 

" Goodbye," she finally murmured and turned around. She started walking toward the house. " Ashley, wait!" he called out. " Your house is the other way," he said. She rolled her eyes. " Yeah. Figures you'd know that after scouting the house for days," 

She didn't look at him and just started walking the other way. " I still love you," he said. That made her stop. She wanted to turn around. She wanted to run into his arms. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to be his. Against everything that was happening. 

She wanted to go back to before. She wanted to ignore all of this. But she knew she couldn't. This was the reality and reality was a fucking bitch. " I know," she said in a low tone, knowing he could hear. Then she started walking. 

She needed to get home. Be with her family. Warn them. 

By the time she came back Jacob was outside on the ground crying. Seth and Leah were watching him. Leah softly shook her head and Ashley got the message. Bella didn't make it. She looked back to Jacob. He still didn't do what he said he would. She still had time. 

She would mourn for her friend later, not it was time to do her last wish. To protect her child. She ran inside. She saw Edward over Bella's body, trying to revive her or change her. She didn't had the time, she needed to find the baby. 

She started running inside the house to find the baby and whoever was with it. She didn't know whether the others made it back to the house safely. She would worry about that later too. 

She found her mom with the baby in the living room. " Mom!" she exclaimed. Rosalie turned to her. " Look, Ashley. It's a girl. Reneesme," she said softly. " No, Mom, no! You should get away! Take her and go away!" she screamed. 

Rosalie furrowed her brows. " What do you mean? What's going on?" she asked. " The woods. Jacob. He said he was going to kill it because you guys trust him now. He's outside, we need to protect her!" 

" Okay.. Okay. The other's aren't back yet. I don't know where Alice or Jasper is. Edward's downstairs with Bella. It's just us," she quickly said and got up. But it was too late. Jacob was inside the house. He was walking towards them. 

Rosalie turned to him. " Stay back, mutt!" she hissed. " Not gonna happen," he hissed back and got closer. The baby seemed frightened and her eyes were going back and forth. Then, they stopped. Jacob had stopped too. He was looking directly at the baby but he no longer had that devastated face. He got down on his knees. 

" Shit," Ashley murmured, guessing what had just happened now. By the look on Rosalie's face, she got it too. Jacob slowly rose to his feet but before he could say something Edward, Alice and Jasper rushed into the room. 

He looked at Rosalie and Ashley. " Stay with Bella," he said and they turned around. But then Edward stopped as everyone got to moving. He turned around and glared at Jacob. Jacob raised his hand to stop Edward as he moved toward him but Edward disarmed him and then threw him against the wall. 

Ashley guessed he had heard that he imprinted on his daughter from his thoughts. Jacob fell to the ground holding his left arm as Edward turned around. " Protect her," he hissed and the three of them went downstairs. Rosalie and Ashley followed them. 

The room Bella was in reeked of blood. If Ashley could even smell it she didn't know how her mother stood it. And Bella... well, she looked terrible. She had some bite marks on her. Multiple. But Ashley didn't have time to analyze all of it once she heard the noise. 

She moved to the window and looked outside. Edward, Alice and Jasper were fighting with the pack. They were clearly outnumbered. Then, her grandparents and dad showed up. It seemed to go a bit better. Her heart was beating in her mouth, this was a scene she never wanted to see. Two other wolves joined to the fight and she realized it was Seth and Leah. They were helping her family. 

She then saw a grey wolf going after her dad. She knew who he was. The scene broke her. Emmett jumped back from the tree and got inside the action. " Mom, give the baby to me. Go help them," she pleaded. 

Rosalie looked at her daughter, the baby, Bella and then the window. She took a deep breath and nodded. " Alright. I love you baby," she said and handed Reneesme to Ashley. She was gone in a flash. 

Ashley moved back to the window and started watching. Rosalie joining helped them a bit and evened the number. Plus there was Leah and Seth. Their numbers were higher. And even if her family lost and the wolves won... Ashley was holding the baby. The pack couldn't hurt Ashley, that's what Paul said. So, as long as she was holding the baby, it was safe.

Then, Jacob jumped out of the house. " Stop! It's over!" he shouted. Sam moved toward Jacob. " If you kill her you kill me!" he said. Sam moved Jacob out of the way but he phased on the air. He walked toward Sam while all of the wolves growled. 

The wolves slowly started to take a step back and turn around. Ashley didn't miss the grey wolf lingering a second longer before emerging into the forest. Then Jacob turned around to look Edward in the eyes. 

Rosalie walked into the room. " It's over," she said. Ashley nodded and handed her the baby. Now that the adrenalin had passed, all the negative emotions had dawned on her. Her friend was dead. Her boyfriend just tried to kill his family. It was bad. 

The pounding on her head was louder now. She could feel her heartbeat in her entire body. Her ears were ringing. 

Ashley saw her dad, grandpa and Jacob enter the room. Then she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She felt herself fall down once again and then gave herself to the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't like Miss Resume any more than the fandom but I'm sticking to canon and I write how my own original characters would react to the situations of the canon. I just wanted to clear that point bc I have issues with that particular plotline but this is not a fix-it soooo yeah. Thanks for reading and don't forget to share your thoughts with me!


	33. Thirty Two

Ashley woke up half an hour later. She was in her bed and her dad was by her side. " Hey, kiddo. Welcome back," he smiled. " What... What happened?" she asked. " You fainted. Carlisle says it's nothing big. He says it because of exhaustion or something," 

She scratched her head. " Yeah... or maybe cause I fell in the woods earlier," she replied. He furrowed his brows. " The woods? What were you doing there?" he asked. She shrugged. " I was with Jacob. He asked me to help him distract the wolves," 

Emmett sighed. " I'm going to kill him," he breathed out. " Dad... It's okay, they didn't harm me. I fell on my own," she replied. " In fact, none of them were close to me when I fell," 

He looked confused. " He left you alone in the woods?" he hissed. She shook her head. " Technically, I ran away from them," she said. Ashley took a deep breath. " How's Edward holding up?" 

" He's more annoying than ever. He's waiting... We're all waiting," he answered. " So... so it worked?" she asked. Emmett nodded. " Yeah. Carlisle thinks so. He says we can't hear it because of the morphine they gave her right before. But that it's working," 

She nodded and even cracked a smile. That was good. That meant... that meant Bella was alive. Or would be. That she wouldn't be gone. " Has Edward killed Jacob for imprinting... yet?" she asked with a smirk. Emmett smiled. " Not yet. He'll probably leave the honors to Bella," he replied. 

Then someone knocked on the door. It was Rosalie. " Hey," she said with a smile. " I just wanted to check on you before I go," she said. " Go where?" Ashley said. " To feed. Jasper, Alice, Edward and I... well, you know," Rosalie replied.

Ashley nodded. " Oh, okay," she said. Rosalie quickly kissed the top of her head and then vanished. Emmett turned to Ashley. " Let's go and ask Carlisle to check your head out," he said. " I'm fine," Ashley resisted. 

Emmett gave her the dad look. " You're still under my roof, young lady. If I say we're checking it out, we're checking it out," he said and got Ashley out of the bed. " Technically, this is grandpa's roof," she huffed. He chuckled. " Even better. Do you think he'll let it slide?"

Five minutes later Ashley was in Carlisle's study and he was pointing a light to her eyes. " I'm fine," she huffed. " How hard did you fall sweetie?" Carlisle asked. She shrugged. " I don't know. Not much. I was awake through it all. I just missed my step," she answered. 

She didn't want to tell them that she was crying so much that she couldn't see the tree branch before her because everything was so blurry due to the tears. " Hmmh," Carlisle hummed. " It doesn't seem much, but I would advise you to rest," 

" Thank you!" she exclaimed and got up. She looked at her grandpa. " So... Bella? She'll be alright, right?" she asked. Carlisle nodded. " It seems that way. Alice saw it in her visions too. We just don't know when," 

Ashley shook her head to the news. It was good. They walked out of the room together to the living room. Esme was holding the baby and Jacob was watching them. Upon seeing them, Ashley could feel herself exude rage. 

The others seemed to pick up on it as well. " Ashley," Jacob said, " Let's talk outside," he motioned toward her. Emmett stepped between them. " Give me one good reason not to punch you," he hissed to Jacob. 

He looked up at Emmett. " Because this is between me and your daughter?" he asked. " It's fine, dad. I can handle him," Ashley said. They walked outside. Seth and Leah were still there. " You can punch me if you want," Jacob said. 

Ashley rolled her eyes. " Yeah, no. I'm not in the mood to crack my hand," she said. " I would gladly do it for you," Leah stepped forward. Ashley smiled at her then turned back to Jacob. " You're a hypocrite! And a liar! And a piece of shit! I hope you know that!" 

Jacob nodded. " You were going to kill her! A baby! If you hadn't imprinted, you would kill her! Betray Bella's one wish. What kind of a friend are you? And you lied. To all of us. We were nice to you! You only do things for you, never think of the consequences of others. All impulse decisions! Did you ever think what would happen after if you had killed the baby? You said you'd go back to the pack after you'd kill her, what about Leah and Seth! They followed you and left! Did you ever ask them whether they wanted to go back? Let's say you didn't, can you lead them? Can you be the alpha they deserve? Can you even lead people?" 

Jacob didn't answer. He looked at Leah and Seth. It was clear he didn't think. 

" So, what? Now that you imprinted on Reneesme that everything is going to be alright? Everything you've done would be swapped under? That's this is a fucking fairytale and we would just forget?" 

She took a deep breath. " I am really looking forward to seeing what Bella would do to you once she finds out," she said. Jacob looked at her. " She knows that... it's a wolf thing," he mumbled. Ashley scoffed. " Yeah? I think she might change her mind once she learns that you were about to kill her child and was supposedly in love with her until a few hours ago!" 

Jacob was speechless once again. " Just... Just get out of my sight you asshole," she breathed out. For once, Jacob did as told and went back inside. Ashley looked at Leah. " Was that too much?" she asked her. 

Leah shrugged. " No. He needed to hear them," she replied. Then she hugged Ashley. " Hanging out with me is rubbing off on you," she said with a smile. Ashley chuckled in response. " I've heard you fainted. Are you all right now?" she asked.

Ashley nodded. " Yeah, yeah. I fell earlier in the woods. Hit my head," she replied. " Oh... when you ran away?" Leah asked. She nodded again. " Did you talk to Paul?" Seth asked. When Ashley looked at him with surprise he shrugged. " We saw him ran after you," 

" Oh," she mumbled. " Anyway," she sighed and turned to Leah. " You guys have been out here for long enough? Want to come inside the house and sleep on a bed?" she asked. Leah seemed uncomfortable by the question. 

Ashley smiled. " You can sleep in my room and we can lock the door too. We can sleep in my bed and Seth can take the sofa. It's a bed of it's own, anyway," she continued. Seth seemed keen to the idea. " I wouldn't object to the idea of a bed," he murmured toward his sister. 

" Cmon! I'll make some popcorn and we can watch Netflix," she persuaded. Leah finally nodded. " Fine, but if you steal all of the blanket, I'm throwing you off of your own bed," she said. Ashley chuckled. " Deal," 

Two weeks passed. Ashley had been back to university for a while now. After Carlisle confirmed the fact that Bella had been in transition, the family decided that it was best that she would return to school. Bella would wake up as an newborn and they didn't know whether she'd be able to control herself with Ashley around. The safest bet was that Ashley was away. 

Bella had called Ashley after she woke up. They talked on the phone for a while, Ashley filling her in on everything that happened while she was asleep and Bella told her about the things that happened after she woke up. 

Like how she found out about Jacob and imprinting and how Jacob intended to kill Reneesme. Ashley honestly took joy in hearing about Bella's rage and how she handled him. 

Apparently, Reneesme had a gift as well. She was able to communicate without speaking. Just by touching you, she could show you memories of her and tell you stuff. It was interesting. But she was also growing rapidly, as Carlisle said. Bella and the others were alarmed by it but they were trying to push it down. 

One positive thing that happened was that Bella and Emmett's arm-wrestled and Emmett lost. Ashley wished that she was there to experience for her own. Bella was the strongest in that house at the moment because she was a newborn. 

Other than that she also found out that Seth and Leah were still staying with the Cullens, by Jacob's side. Ashley was really surprised to learn that but she still wished that they could resolve their issue. 

During Ashley's absence, orientation had ended and classes started. Luckily, she didn't miss much of it and was able to quickly catch up. The friendships she made during orientation really helped her through the first days. 

Some part of her was still left in Forks, with her family, thinking about them but now after two weeks, she was fully adapted to being a university student and living that life. 

She had to admit, life seemed really easily when you didn't have any vampire or wolf drama in it. So far, she only had to deal with jealous partners, greedy wanna-be's and typical hypocrite teenagers. She was honestly loving it. 

Katy, her roommate, was amazing. She was fun, trustworthy and reliable. They clicked on so many levels. Both of them didn't step over each other's privacy, respected each other's boundaries and got along. She couldn't ask for a better roommate. 

Ashley was in the library, working on a project when her phone lit up. It was Leah. She had come to visit. She quickly texted her to meet up in her dorm. She was going to leave her stuff at her room and then they could hang out. After the text she quickly gathered all of her stuff and started walking. 

Leah was standing in the door of her dorms. They quickly shared a hug and got in. " I just need five minutes, then we can go," Ashley said. Leah nodded. As they were going up the stairs, some papers fell down. Leah picked them up. 

" What even is this stuff?" she asked while they reached her floor. " Ugh, the theories. Boring stuff," Ashley mumbled. Then she was trying to get her keys out of her bag. She couldn't balance the things on her hand so they fell. 

Except they did not and another hand held them. When she looked up in surprise she saw Brad. He had grabbed the stuff. " Careful," he said with a smile. She smiled back. " Thanks," she mumbled. 

" I'm here for the Lit notes you promised me," Brad said. Ashley nodded. " Ah, yes," she said opened the door. " Brad, this is Leah. My friend from home," she said and stepped inside. " Oh, hi," Brad said to Leah.

When Ashley turned around after grabbing the notes to give to Brad, she saw Leah looking at Brad. She had a look that was too familiar with Ashley. Her eyes widened with shock. She quickly handed Brad the notes, murmured goodbye and pulled Leah into the room and shut the door in his face. 

" Is it what I think it is?" she asked. Leah sat in Ashley's bed and covered her face with her hands. " I just never thought that it was possible," she whispered. Ashley sat next to her. " I'm freaking out," Leah said. 

" I always knew how it felt like. From when I was back in the pack... the guys' thoughts... but, but, I never thought I'd experience it for myself," she murmured. Then she extended her arm to Ashley. " Pinch me," 

" What?" Ashley asked. " I want to know if I'm dreaming. So, pinch me," Leah said bluntly. So Ashley pinched her. " You know, if you'd just asked me, I could have told you that you're not dreaming,"

They chuckled. " So... Brad?" Leah asked. Ashley cracked a smile. " Yeah, he's an engineering major. We take Literature 101 class together. He seems like a nice person," she explained. It had only been two weeks so Ashley didn't really have much time to get to know him. 

Ashley sat in silence as Leah processed everything that happened in the last moments, to give her friend some time and not put pressure on her. This was huge for her, she knew. Ashley remembered the moments where Leah lashed out at her at the start of their friendship and her concerns about her imprinting. 

She slowly sat up. " Okay, how about I go get us some coffee? You can have the room to yourself until I come back to reel it all in," she offered. Leah looked up to her. " Yeah, uhm. Yeah, that'd be nice. Thanks,"


	34. Thirty Three

Leah imprinted. That was hard to believe. Most of Ashley's disbelief came from Leah herself because she never believed it. So, the girls came up with a plan. Ashley already liked Brad as a friend, so, in the next couple of days, she'd get close to him, as a friend and then introduce him to Leah, properly. 

How it would go from that point on was none of her business but as a friend, she could and would do this much. 

Right now, she was in that process. It had been a week. Of course, her seeming overly interested in him would cause a misunderstanding so she was playing it low and cool. And so far, he seemed like a good person. Against her restrain, she could picture him and Leah together. 

Ashley started sitting closer to Brad in their shared class. Just as the teacher ended the class, they started talking. While they were walking out of the class, Ashley spotted the two familiar faces. 

Jasper and Alice. Jasper had his arm around Alice's waist and they were standing close to the walls. Ashley let out a surprised gasp. She turned to Brad. " So, I'll catch you later?" she asked him. He nodded. They had plans later on to revise for the quiz that was coming up. 

Ashley rushed to her uncle and aunt and hugged them. Alice smirked. "So, who was that?" she asked. Ashley rolled her eyes. " It's not what you think," she replied. " Should've known," Alice pouted. 

" What are you guys doing here?" Ashley asked. " What? We can't visit you?" Jasper shot back. She smiled. " You can! Just a heads up would've been nice," 

They went to a cafe inside the campus. " So, how's everything at home?" Ashley asked. Alice and Jasper shared a look. " Good," he answered. " That didn't sound so assuring," 

Alice rolled her eyes and paid for Ashley's coffee and water. " It's good. Bella's good. She has impressive control. Reneesme is good too. She's growing up pretty fast, that's all," she quickly explained. 

" What do you mean?" Ashley furrowed her brows. Alice showed her a couple of pictures on her phone. A little girl with the family. " That's Reneesme?" she asked in shock. Jasper nodded. That was impossible. The girl on the picture looked like she was five or six. Reneesme was a few weeks old. 

Alice sighed. " Everyone's worried that she's growing up too fast and that she won't stop," she said. " Which means..." Ashley murmured but she didn't complete the sentence. " Damn,"

" How about you?" Jasper asked, changing the topic. Ashley shrugged. " It's good, I'm really adapting. It's weird having people around who goes to sleep though," she said and they chuckled. 

Alice and Jasper told Ashley about home a bit more. They told her about Jacob, how he practically moved in and was always around Reneesme. Ashley told them a bit more about the university life and all. 

The only time where the topic of the pack, and subsequently Paul, was brought up was when Alice and Jasper told her that the pack was staying away and wasn't causing them any problems. 

Ashley still felt like there was something that they were keeping out but she didn't pressure them much. She knew they could tell whether she was suspicious or not. 

Alice checked her phone and nudged Jasper. " It's time," she whispered to him but Ashley caught her. Jasper turned to Ashley. " We've gotta go," he said. She nodded. " Okay, I've got some reading to do anyway," 

They hugged again and right now Ashley could definitely tell that something was wrong. The way they hugged her felt strange. It felt like goodbye. Their guilty faces afterwards only confirmed her theory further. 

" We love you, kiddo. Take care," Jasper said. She nodded. " Yeah. Love you too," she said. She never usually told them to take care, since they were the industricable killing machines but something in her gut nudged her. " You guys be careful too," 

The next day, Ashley came back to her dorm room, exhausted. All of the assignments and lessons were starting to show their workload and she wasn't able to keep up, even though she was a freshman. She had to do an assignment the night before that was due 8 AM. She didn't get much sleep. 

She was looking forward to going back to her room and just relaxing. Maybe watching a few of her shows or listen to music. Just when she got settled in to her bed, Leah called her. She picked up. She was frustrated with Jacob. 

" I know I followed him with my own free will, but fucking hell, he's dumb," Leah was saying. " What did he do this time?" Ashley asked. She heard Leah sigh. " It's not that big, it's just small things that build up over time," 

" Look, I get that he imprinted and all, right now I really get it, you know, but this, he doesn't even pay attention to Seth and I," she ranted. It was happening just as Ashley had predicated. Jacob was a teenager and he acted out of an impulse decision. He didn't think it through. 

Ashley huffed. " I'm not surprised, honestly," she replied. " I told him this was going to happen. Granted, I didn't know he was going to imprint on my niece, wow it feels weird to say that, I have a niece, anyway, but I knew it would get messy," 

" Yeah... Honestly, I think I miss Sam. At least, he thought things through," Leah said. " Wait? What?" Ashley excitedly ask. "Wow, character development! Look at that," she said. she heard Leah chuckle. " Well, yeah, you know, since I imprinted, he doesn't really bug me anymore. I could care less," 

Ashley couldn't help but smile. " That's great to hear!" she said. " Which brings me to the next thing I'll say. Are you sitting down?" Leah asked. " I'm laying on my bed like the dead. I'm ready,"

" I went to talk to Emily today," Leah said. " WHAT?" Ashley exclaimed and jumped on the bed. Thanfully, she didn't fall but her pillows did. " OMG, You're serious?" she asked. " Yes, we talked," 

" And? YOU CAN'T JUST DROP THIS BOMB ON ME AND NOT GIVE ME ANY DETAILS," Ashley let out. She heard Leah being amused at her reaction. " Well, ever since I imprinted, obviously my anger melted away a bit. I kinda get it down. Even though it was still shitty what I went through, and I won't forget them, I need to move forward. I started thinking, what if it was the opposite? What if I was the one to imprint first? I don't know... I just had a clear mind after so long and I think I wouldn't want someone to stay with me when they loved someone else. Not fair. Anyway, with that clarity, we talked. She apologised, I did too. And... now we're on speaking terms. She says hi, by the way," 

Ashley stayed silent and took it all in. " Woah," she said at the end. " I'm glad you two made up," she added. " Tell her hi when you see her again," 

She couldn't help but picture herself in Leah's situation. Sure, what she went through was bad, losing someone you loved. What if she and Paul met on other terms and then he imprinted on someone else? Someone... family. It would devestate her. And if it was her in other circumstances, she felt like she wouldn't be happy in a relationship where her partner didn't feel the same. 

" I also saw the pack," Leah said. " Since I left, my connection with them were getting weaker, which was a blessing since I didn't have to hear their thoughts anymore, especially Sam's... which doesn't bug me anymore. Anyway, I didn't know they'd be at there since I don't have the connection anymore, and I should've guessed. I'm stretching it out, I saw Paul," 

" Oh," Ashley murmured. " You two haven't spoken since the woods?" Leah asked. " Yeah," Ashley answered. She didn't contact him and he didn't too. " He looked out of it, he didn't even give me a snide remark. Thought that was the reason," 

Ashley took a deep breath. " We've been through so much. We always made up somehow. But I don't know how I can get past this, I don't know even if I can get past it," she replied. " Could you?" she added.

Leah didn't answer for a while. " Well, you know how I handled my break up, so I don't think I'm the right person you should be talking about this," she said. " I also told Sam... that I imprinted," 

" Yeah?" Ashley asked but her mood was down since the mention of Paul. " Yeah, he was surprised as well. I don't think we made up but it was a step toward that. He even said that he was sorry it all turned out this way. But this time, it didn't hurt as much as it did when I looked or talked to him," 

She was surprised Leah even talked to Sam in an non threatening way. That was huge. She was happy for her friend for finally being able to leave that in her past. Aside from all the drama, she liked Sam. She use to like. He decided to attack her family. 

It was a dilemma. She knew they were just trying to protect their tribe and it was their mission but it was her family. The lack of options was what was really getting under her skin. Why did it all had to be this way? 

" Well, that's good to hear. Maybe the boys will finally get their heads out of their asses and treat you with the kindness you deserve," Ashley replied. " Yeah, I don't know. I wasn't exactly nice to them either," 

" Yeah, but what they were doing was extra. I think we could all agree on that," Ashley said. " Okay," Leah huffed. " I've gotta go now. Mom's at Charlie's place so I've got to cook dinner for Seth and I," 

" Okay, say hi to him for me" Ashley said, trying to hid her surprise upon learning Sue was with Charlie. They'd been spending too much time together, and it only made her wonder whether he knew, about all of it. Neither Alice, Jasper or Leah said anything. 

There was too much on her mind. School, Reneesme, Paul, Leah, Jacob, the pack, her family, the strange visit from Jasper and Alice. She picked up her phone again and called Edward. He picked up after a few rings.

" Hey, is everything all right?" he asked upon answering the call. " Wow, why so serious?" she asked him. " Must be because I'm a parent now," he said. " Edward Anthony Masen Jr. Cullen! Did you just use sarcasm?" 

Edward let out a small huff. " Did I? I didn't realize. Anyway, I'm kinda in the middle of something, is it important?" he asked. " Ugh, no. Not really," Ashley lied. She had a feeling he wouldn't give her the answers she wanted anyway.

" Alright. Bye," he said and ended the call. She looked at her phone angrily. Something was going on, she just knew it. 

The next day, Ashley woke up and went to her classes. On her lunch break, she met up with her roommate Katy. Katy was telling her about this new guy she met during one of the parties she went to last week and really clicked. 

" He didn't even made a move to have sex! I can't believe such a guy exists. And he's really tall!" she squealed. Ashley smiled. " Wow, the standards have really fallen down," she replied. Katy rolled her eyes. " Tell me about it,"

Katy ate her food as she eyed Ashley. She only took a few bites and didn't continue. " Are you alright? You seem out of it for a couple of days. Is everything alright?" she asked. Ashley sighed. She couldn't dump all of her troubles on her friend. Plus, she couldn't even tell the majority of the things going on. 

" It's my boyfriend," she said. It wasn't all lies. " Oh," she said, " What happened?" she asked. " Uhm, so, you know I come from a small town. You know, how the people who live in small towns usually always live there and there is always some bad blood between some groups?" 

Katy nodded. " Well, my family and his... they are the different groups. And something went down between them. He's on the other side, so we're not talking now," Ashley explained it the best way she can. " Hmmm, like you're Juliet and he's Romeo? The families fought?" 

" Something like that," Ashley smiled. " I'm sorry, is there anything I can do?" she asked. Ashley shook her head. " No, but thanks. I think I can get through it by myself, for now," she said. " I'm thinking of going home soon. Maybe we can sort it out," 

After lunch, Ashley had a bit more classes and when they were finally over, she called her mom. She didn't answer and called her half an hour later. " Hey mom," she said. " Hey baby," Rosalie replied. 

" How's it going? I heard Leah visited you," Rosalie asked. " Yeah, she did. We had fun. It's going great, the classes are a bit hard to keep up with but I think that's the usual for any student," she answered. Rosalie chuckled. " Yeah, I bet, honey," she said. 

There was something with the way she talked. Like Edward. It seemed like they wanted to get over with the conversation as soon as possible. 

" I'm thinking of skipping class tomorrow and spend the weekend back at home," she blurted. " What? No," Rosalie quickly shot. Ashley was surprised at her reaction. " Why mom? It's my home too and I want to meet Reneesme," 

Rosalie sighed. " It's not that, baby. You know it's not safe yet. Bella's been a newborn for a few weeks now, she doesn't have the control we have. It's not safe," she said. " But there are seven of you against her, you could stop her if something goes wrong," 

" It'd be hard, she's very strong at the moment. She even beat your dad at a wrestling match. Besides, you remember her birthday, right? I can't possibly put you in danger baby, you can't come," 

Ashley didn't say anything for a while. " Is that the only reason why I can't come?" she questioned her mom. " Of course. What else would it be?" Rosalie asked back. From her tone, it seemed like she figured out Ashley knew something was wrong. 

" We could come visit you if you want to see us. Maybe even bring Reneesme, but you can't come home," Rosalie said sternly. Ashley took a deep breath. " Fine," she huffed and ended the call in annoyance. 

She got to her dorm and dropped her stuff. After changing her clothes she grabbed her notes for the class she shared with Brad and left her room to go meet up with him to study. She planned to have drinks with him after the quiz and Leah would come so that they could officially meet and spend some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 3 more chapters to go!!! I hope you guys are excited as me!


	35. Thirty Four

Ashley glanced at Brad. He looked focused on his paper. They were having their quiz now. There would be four throughout the semester and those four would count as the second midterm. So they were important. 

She slowly got up and handed her paper in. She quickly motioned to Brad that she was waiting outside and walked out of the classroom. Her phone lighted up. It was Leah. She was saying that she was almost there. 

Ashley replied saying that she was waiting for Brad. Another text came. 'Btw, I need to tell u smt else'. Ashley sighed. 'Tell it to me when you arrive. Don't text&drive.' 

After a couple of minutes, the teacher opened the door and students walked out. Brad walked toward Ashley. " I'm buying whatever you're drinking. There was no chance I could've done the questions without you," 

Ashley chuckled. "Deal," she chuckled. " Also, is it okay if my friend joins us? I think you guys met before," she asked. Brad shrugged. " Sure. The more the merrier. We did?" 

" Yeah, she was with me when you came to my room for the notes. Short, black hair? Remember?" she asked. " Oh, oh yeah. The one who didn't talk," he said. Ashley let out an uncomfortable chuckle. " Yeah... she was having a bad day. She's great," 

They walked toward the place where they planned beforehand and started discussing the questions. When they reached the place, Leah was already there, waiting outside. " Hey, you are fast!" Ashley said and hugged her. 

She smiled. " Yeah. That's what I was--" Ashley interrupted her. " Leah, this is Brad. Brad, it's Leah," she introduced. Brad smiled. " Hi, nice to meet you," he said. Leah beamed up. " It is, how's it going?" 

" Great. Thanks to our mutual friend I'm not going to fail this class, again," he chuckled. Leah and Ashley joined him. " Shall we?" he asked and pointed the place. " Yeah," Ashley said and they walked inside. 

Leah grabbed Ashley's arm. " Wait, wait," she murmured. Ashley turned to her. " That was great! I've never seen you this cheerful!" she said. Leah smiled. " Yeah, yeah. But I've got to tell you something," 

" Okay, tell it when we sit down, cmon, he's waiting," Ashley said and motioned to move. Leah stopped her. " Just... Jesus Christ. Ashley, stop interrupting. It's important," she sighed. Ashley stopped and look at her friend. 

" What is it?" she asked. " I didn't come here alone," Leah said. Ashley furrowed her brows. " Okay? Who did you come with?" she replied. " She came with me," someone said from behind them. 

Ashley turned around. Her eyes landed on Paul. He was wearing jeans, a shirt, and a black jacket. Ashley turned to Leah. " I was trying to tell you," she murmured. " He wants to talk to you," 

At that moment, Brad stepped outside. " Girls, is there a problem?" he asked, his eyes landing on Paul. Ashley turned to him. " Uhm, no, no. Leah, why don't you guys head inside?" 

Brad looked at Ashley. He was glancing between her and Paul. " Are you sure?" he asked. Ashley nodded. " Yeah, yeah. I'll be there soon," she said. Brad took one last glance at Paul then turned around. Leah gave her a sympathetic look before following him inside. 

Ashley crossed her arms. " What are you doing here?" she asked. Paul put his hands inside his jacket. " We need to talk," he said. " Right now?"

He nodded. Ashley took a deep breath. " You don't call, you don't text then you show up out of nowhere when I'm busy. Do you think I'll drop everything and meet your demands?" she shot. That might have been harsh, she knew, but she was angry. 

" Would you have answered if I called or texted? I was giving you time," he answered, calmly. Ashley was surprised at that. He seemed... calm. Too calm. This wasn't like Paul. Two months ago and he would've snapped at Brad. Hell, he'd yell right now. 

He seemed to be on edge but he was so still. " Can we just go somewhere private and talk? Please?" he asked. Ashley bit her lip. " What about Leah and Brad?" she asked. Paul pointed to the window. Brad and Leah could be seen sitting at a table, chatting and smiling. " I think they're alright," 

She looked at them then turned back to him. " Fine," she sighed. She took out her phone and texted Leah that they were going to talk and it would probably be a while. Then they started walking. 

They were now making their way into the winter, it was snowing, and Ashley was freezing. She put her hands into her pockets to maybe warm them. It only worked for a bit. They sat at one of the benches on the campus, looking over an art piece made by the students. They were the only people around, granted no sensible person wouldn't be out unless it was unnecessary. Of course, that applied if you weren't a shifter who didn't get cold. 

" So... How have you been?" he asked. She shrugged. " Getting by," she answered shortly after a while. " What did you want to talk about?" she continued. He turned to her. " Ashley, baby, please. Don't do this," 

She furrowed her brows. " Don't do what?" she snapped. " This. You know I had no choice. When Sam says something... we have to do it. I have to do it. I tried, I tried to change his mind. You know that you are the most important thing in the world for me. The pack comes after you. I can't stand you being mad at me like this," 

" I know that! I know how the pack works! I'm not mad at you for that, not wholly! That's on Sam. But how could you not tell me about it? I had no idea what was going on, both you and my family left me out in the dark. You say I'm your family, how could you not tell me?" 

Paul sighed. " I didn't know how to," he whispered. " Geez, how could I have told you? I was busy trying to get Sam to change his mind. I swear, even after Jacob left and took the Clearwaters, even when we were scouting out the house, I was trying to convince him not to do it. To only get the thing," 

" That thing is my cousin! She was a baby! You would have killed seven people just to kill a baby?" she exclaimed. " They are not people!" Paul snapped. " I'm sorry," he said in a normal tone afterward. " But they are not human. Any of them. We're not murderers, we were trying to protect ourselves and the humans," 

" So we're back to they're vampires now? Great," Ashley replied. She buried her face in her hands. " Fuck," she whispered. " I'm sorry, pretend I didn't say that," 

They were in this situation because her family came back to Forks. Her family was the reason why the pack existed. Why they were in this situation. If they never did, Paul would be a normal teenager, not having to deal with all of this. 

They sat in silence. 

" Look... I know it's not an easy thing to go through. I know you need your time," Paul said finally. She looked up at him. He was being far more considarate then she gave him credit for. Ashley instantly felt bad. " Plus, that whole thing got solved. Jake imprinted. That's over," 

Ashley nodded. She was still not comfortable with Jacob's imprinting but that whole thing was up to Edward and Bella. They were the parents after all. " Yeah, I hear he's around all the time," she said. 

" What else could have happened? The second he landed his eyes on her... Well, I didn't want to leave either," he said then slowly turned to her. " I'm not lying when I say you are the most important thing to me in this world. In my life. Nothing, and I mean, _nothing _is more important than you,"__

__Ashley gulped. " I never thought you were lying," she whispered. His throat blobbed. " Just say the word, Ashley. I'll do anything. I'll leave the pack. I'll move here," he said, looking directly at her. He took out something from his pocket. A couple of newspaper's columns cut out._ _

__" I looked at some apartments. I even found an ad for a job at a mechanics shop. I'm all in," he continued, showing her the cut outs. Ashley looked at them then back to him. " You know I don't want you to change your whole life because of me,"_ _

__He chuckled. " Ashley, my whole life is you. Don't you get it? I don't have a life without you," he said. Tears had come to her eyes. " It's just not fair," she said, looking down. " I'm not worked up about it,"_ _

__She didn't speak for a while as she tried to get it all in. " I saw you. Through the window," she said. He looked at her confused. " That night. While you guys were... you know. I saw you chasing my dad to a tree. You could have had him but you let him climb. Gave him an out,"_ _

__He didn't answer and instead looked forward to the art piece. " Thank you," she whispered. He nodded slowly. " What the hell is that supposed to be?" he asked after a minute. Ashley gave out a faint smile. " It's abstract,"_ _

__" It's fucking ugly," he grinned. She chuckled. " Yeah," she murmured and blew on her fingers to try to get warm. " May I?" he asked slowly. She nodded and he took her hands in his. His hands were so warm. She practically melted._ _

__" How have you been?" she asked. He shrugged. " Fine. I guess. It's strange," he murmured and look at her. " What is?" she asked. " You know," he answered. She furrowed her brows. " Do you mean Reneesmee's growth rate?"_ _

__Paul looked at her dumbfounded. He looked surprised. Ashley remembered that he looked on edge. There was no reason for him to be on edge about Renesme. " Paul," she said, " What is going on?"_ _

__He took a deep breath. " You were mad at me for lying to you before? Well, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice," he said. " It's bad. Real bad that Jacob came to us. It's not like we were going to say no to that, we've never been scared of vampires,"_ _

__" Jacob? Sying no? Scared? Paul, what are you saying?" Ashley gasped. " A bunch of vampires are coming to Forks. Jacob says to fight. Something they think the Cullens did," he explained. " Who? Who's coming?" she asked, her heart beating at her mouth._ _

__" I don't know. Some Italian name, Vulture? Voltari?" he said. " Volturi?" she whispered. He nodded. " Yeah, that," he murmured. Ashley pulled her hands and took a deep breath. This was bad. Oh, this was very very bad._ _

__Scratch that, it was fucking shit. There was no way her family could stand against the Volturi alone. Even with the pack... oh god, it would be a bloodbath. Figuratively._ _

__" Yeah, and your family called all this vampires and because of them kids are turning to shift. They are kids, Ashley. They're terrified. Us and Jacob's pack are trying to help but... it's bad," he said._ _

__She looked up. " Wait, wait, what other vampires?" she asked. He shrugged. " Jacob says they are witnesses to convince the Italians that they are innocent. There are about twenty in your house right now,"_ _

__" How long? How long has this been going on?" she asked again. " For two weeks or so," he answered. She gasped. Why didn't her uncle and aunt say anything when they came to visit? Was that the purpose of their visit then? No wonder they looked all guilty and sad._ _

__And this must be the reason why her family has been acting all weird. Why her mother didn't let her come home. Because it was swarming with vampires. Vampires who didn't share the same life style as her family and could potentially be a danger to her._ _

__For her family to go this extreme... it was bad._ _

__Her heart was beating so fast at this point that she was surprised she didn't start shaking. " Are you alright?" he asked. She shook her head. " No, no. Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't Leah?"_ _

__He hugged her. She even forgot that she was cold but as soon as his arms and body covered her she started to feel warm. " I don't know. I thought you knew. I really did,"_ _

__" I've gotta go. I need to be with them," she said suddenly, jumping up from the bench. His warmness was instantly gone. " What? No," he said and got up. " If they are as dangerous as you claim it to be, you can't be near them,"_ _

__" Paul, what if I don't get to say goodbye... What if they ... I need to see them," she managed to let out. He grabbed her by her shoulders. " Ashley, if they think they weren't going to make it, they'd tell you so. If they didn't, that means that they're going to be there to let you tell them off keeping you in the dark. We'll be there, all of us. The whole pack. We won't let those bloodsuckers get what they want,"_ _

__She shook her head. " But what if you can't? You don't know them, how powerful they are. My grandpa told me about them, all of it. They have been at power for over a millennia. They won't forgive. They will... They will..." she burst into sobs and Paul hugged her once again._ _

__" It will be alright. Ashley, don't worry," he kept saying. Ashley wanted to believe him, she really did. But all those stories Carlisle told her or Edward's experience there months ago was haunting her mind._ _

__Becuase of what happened months ago the Volturi was already after her family. They let Bella live only on the presumption of Alice's visions and Ashley thought they were done when she turned, it was supposed to be done._ _

__Ashley sighed after she calmed down. " You are going to fight no matter, right?" she whispered. Paul kissed the top of her head. " I'm going to be there, right next to your family," he answered._ _

__She knew what that meant. That was his way of apology. He couldn't stop Sam and the pack from attacking her family so now he was going to stand with them against the threat and fight alongside them._ _

__" What if I ask you not to?" she asked. He stood still. " You said imprinting makes you do whatever I want. If I ask you to stay behind, would you listen to me?"_ _

__He gulped. " Ashley..." he started to say. Ashley could see how hard this was for him. Let alone his apology, these vampires were coming to his home, he had the instinct to protect it, no matter what. But she saw in his eyes that if she really did ask him, no matter how he felt, he would do as she wished._ _

__" I just... what if I end up loosing both? You and my family?" she burst into tears again. Paul played with her hair and tried to calm her down. " You won't. You won't. Remember the newborn army. We were all fine, you were scared back then too. Nothing will happen, we're tougher than you think, baby, we'll be fine,"_ _

__She forced herself to believe him._ _

__

__After Ashley calmed down they went back to where Leah and Brad were. They joined them. It seemed like in their absence Leah and Brad really hit it off. It made Ashley happy but she felt dead inside because of the news she received._ _

__They sat together for about an hour more. Brad's apartment was on the other part of the town and Leah and Paul had to go back. They had a pretty long drive ahead of them. Brad said goodbye to them outside then headed for his car._ _

__" Leah, why didn't you tell me?" Ashley asked. Leah looked uncomfortable. " Your family... They asked me not to tell you. They thought it'd be better if you didn't know. That you'd be safely away,"_ _

__She nodded. She coulden't stay mad at her when it was her family who asked her to do this. She was mad at them but with the threat over their heads at the moment, it was hard to stay mad. She'd get furious once they got past this and were all alive and well._ _

__" When?" she asked. Paul and Leah shared a look. " I alread know it, just spill," Ashley huffed. " Tomorrow," Leah said. " The note Alice left says when the snow sticks. It's tomorrow,"_ _

__It was hard to breathe once she heard it. It was so soon. Tomorrow. Her whole family could be annihalted this time the next day. " I'll go wait in the car," Leah said. Ashley nodded and they hugged. Ashley clinged in more for a few seconds. She didn't want to think Leah could be hurt tomorrow. Or worse._ _

__When it was just her and Paul she pulled him to a hug. " Be careful," she whispered. He nodded. " I promise. I'll call you once it's all over. And we can talk, if you want. If you still need time, I get that too. As long as you're safe and well," he said._ _

__Ashley fought back the tears once again. " You'll get back. Then we'll see," she said. " The deal's off if you... if you d... don't...," she stammered. He wiped away her tears. " I get it, you'll kill me if I die,"_ _

__" Yeah, exactly," she chuckled,not believing how she was able to chuckle in this situation. He smiled. " Message received clearly," he said._ _

__Right now, it was freezing, the ground was white with snow, the sound of the traffic was on the background but Ashley was on ly concerned with Paul. And he with her._ _

__" I love you," he said. " I love you," Ashley replied. Yes, he did hurt her weeks ago. Yes, he attacked her family. Yes, he lied to her. Yes, goddamnit it was hell but she still did love him. They survived so much, she wanted to believe that their luck didn't run out and they would make through this too._ _

__She leaned forward to kiss him. It had been too long since their last kiss that if this was the last time, she didn't want it to be a bad memory. She wanted them to part like this, as they were primarily, not in the middle of a fight of the supernatural forces but simply two teenagers in love._ _

__As Paul walked away ashley fought back to not to cry. " Come back to me," she whispered._ _

__

__Ashley walked to her dorm room feeling like a zombie. After she climbed up all the stairs of the building, she took out her phone. She needed a few minutes to process all of it, but then she wanted to talk to her family._ _

__She sent her mother a quick text. ' I know about everything.' It was enough for them to call her once they'd see it. She wasn't mad at the moment, she was only scared and she wanted to hear their voices, terrified it would be the last time._ _

__She opened her room door. There was a tall guy wearing black inside. He turned to Ashley when she walked in. He was wearing sunglasses. It was dark outside but Ashley figured he was probably high off on something and didn't want security to catch him._ _

__" What are you doing here?" she asked sharply. " Are you Ashley?" the guy asked. He seemed weird. She put down her bag on her bed. How did he know her name? It wasn't written on her door or something._ _

__" Shit, you must be Katy's friend, right?" she asked, the thought suddenly popping into her brain. These last hours really wore her off that anything else was erased. " Are you Ashley?" he asked instead._ _

__Ashley furrowed her brows. This guy was way too weird, was this what Katy was in to?_ _

__" Yes?" she said. The guy took off his glasses. Ashley'd blood froze the second she looked at his eyes. They were red. Blood red. " Finally," the vampire smirked at her, and in a flash, he disappeared from where he was standing. The next thing she knew, her consciousness faded to black._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's about to go down fam


	36. Thirty Five

Demetri, a member of the Volturi Guard and the best tracker in the world to date, was given a task by his superiors on their way to resolve the Cullen problem. 

Last year, when Edward Cullen came to Volterra and Aro looked into his mind, he saw something that Cullens had been keeping a secret. There was another human, way before Bella Swan that knew of the secret. 

Aro, Caius, and Marcus decided to not let them know they knew their secret yet, thinking it would come in handy later on. And it did. 

Demetri was tasked with finding the human girl and bring her to the clearing the next day. To show the witnesses that this was not the Cullen's first offense and they deserved to be punished. 

There were trackers all over the world but Demetri was the best. Excepts for shield there was no way anyone could conceal themselves from him. As long as he met the person or someone who met the person he was looking for, he reached his goal. 

Which is why it was not hard for him to track this human when he met three people who knew the human back in Volterra. The only hard part was to bring the girl to the clearing without killing her. 

They had been busy for the last weeks, gathering their own witnesses and tracking people who would betray their coven in favor of the Cullens, Demetri hadn't had the proper time to feed himself.

He had to hit her head to make her faint, and even though he didn't kill her, his blow was still hard and there was blood around her head. It was even harder to restrain himself when there was a human in his arms when he never had to strain himself before. 

Maybe Aro would let himself feast on the human once this whole debacle was over as a reward. That thought joyed Demetri as he sped up as fast as he can to meet with the rest of his coven. 

The snow had stuck to the ground. Both the Cullens, along with the pack and the Volturi were now present, facing each other in a clearing. 

Aro had both seen Edward and Reneesmee's own memories to prove that they didn't break the law. Irina had come forward and said that she made a mistake and took responsibility. She had paid the price with her immortal life. 

Luckily, it didn't break into a fight like the Volturi wanted. Not yet. 

Aro had given a speech about the unknown future, of what the half-mortal child could bring upon them. That the humans were now a threat to their kind. Then, two vampires arrived suddenly. Jasper and Alice. 

She claimed that they had evidence the child wouldn't be a threat to their kind. And she was willing to show Aro. After showing the future to Aro, Caius was still demanding a punishment. 

Then Edward proposed if they could make sure she would be concealed from the outside world and not be known to humans, then whether they'd be able to live in peace. The answer was yes, as long as they could prove it. 

Alice's proof, or her own witness, came forward. A half-mortal half-immortal child, like Reneesme from the Takuna tribes in Brazil. He confirmed that they were like their kind. Aro and Marcus were overwhelmed by the revelation. 

" Unbelievable," Aro said. " These children are much like us," Marcus continued. Cullens took a deep breath, it seemed like their plea was now being heard and it wouldn't have to come down to a fight. 

Caius twitched. " And thus, the Cullens are consorting with werewolves, our natural enemies," he said. Aro turned to him. He looked at his brothers than to his witnesses. " Dear ones, it is now clear the Cullens have not broken the immortal child law. They are innocent of this accusation," 

He then turned back to the Cullens. " However, as my brother said, they have allied themselves with werewolves multiple times. They have resorted to be with our enemies against their own kind. It is a betrayal to our kind and our laws!" 

The wolves growled. The Cullens looked surprised. " Unfortunately, that is not all of the crimes they have committed. The newborn Bella had known our secret long before she awoke to this life. We have decided to spare them just for once because our dear Alice's visions told us that Bella would join our kind. Recently, we have found out this not to be the case," 

Edward came forward. " She is a newborn, you have all attested to it. She didn't tell anyone of our secret," he said. Aro chuckled. " I am not talking about her," 

Aro turned to Demetri. " Demetri, if you shall bring our evidence," he grinned. Demetri was gone from the group in a flash. When he came back, he was holding Ashley. 

The Cullens looked purely in shock. The grey wolf growled and the black one had to restrain him. Caius was grinning. The tension was now high. Ashley was barely standing up, the only reason was that Demetri was holding her. There was blood around her head. 

Rosalie squeezed Emmett's hand. She was scared this whole time but the second Volturi brought Ashley, she was now terrified. She was sure if she was still a human, she would die from a heart attack right about now. 

" State your name," Marcus said. Ashley's vision was blurry but she knew that she was surrounded by vampires. The Volturi. They had gotten to her. " A-Ashley Cul-llen," she stammered. 

To say that she was terrified was an understatement. 

" CULLEN!" Aro exclaimed. " Not only she knows of the secret, but she is also a part of them! This human has known the secret for a long time," he continued. " How long have you known?" he asked her. 

Ashley looked toward her family. She didn't have a perfect vision like them, but she could see they were not alone. The other vampires' Paul told them were there. And the pack. At least, they had numbers. Maybe it would be enough if it came to a fight. 

" Four months. She found out four months ago," Carlisle spoke up. Aro turned to him. " Carlisle, old friend. Why resort to such minimalistic tactics as lying?" 

Carlisle gulped. " I'm not. She found out four months ago when Victoria and her newborn army came to attack us. She attacked her and she found out," he said. 

Caius smirked. " Then why haven't you taken care of it? You know the law," he countered. " It seems like you have a habit of taking in humans and revealing our secret," Aro said, " A nasty habit," 

All of the guards had an amused face. Aro had made his decision. He had seen Alice's vision if they decided to attack, his coven would be thrown to pieces. He would die. He didn't feel like dying today. 

However, he couldn't just retreat. That would undermine his authority worldwide when everyone got the word around. No, he had to punish the Cullen's one way or another or there was no way of knowing who else would dare to challenge their rules in the future. The Cullens had to lose something at least. 

" One nasty habit that needs to be punished," Caius announced. The same grey wolf growled again. The Volturi had pardoned the Cullens for this exact crime once, they were not going to do it again. 

" No, Aro, let's talk about this," Carlisle pleaded. " We can prove it's not what you think," 

Aro smirked. " I already have all the proof I need regarding this," he said. " Dear Edward showed it to me when he visited," he turned to his witnesses. " When I read Edward's mind months ago, he also showed me this human. A human that they adopted and made one of their own. A HUMAN! Living among our kind. That is not only unacceptable but extremely careless of our laws. This is taken as treason against us! We could not pass it by when the same act was committed by them twice!"

His witnesses started to murmur, agreeing with him. 

He turned to Ashley. " Tell me now, truthfully, how long have you known?" he asked her. She didn't answer so Demetri shook her body. Ashley let out a moan. Hisses and growls came out from the Cullens' side. 

" Ten! Ten years!" Ashley shrieked out. " Ten years!" Aro announced. " An act of treason that has been going on for ten years!" 

Emmett was an inch away from exploding and ripping Aro and the piece of shit Demetri that was holding her daughter. 

" It is only fair that we must punish this. Jane?" he said and Jane stepped forward. " Ten seconds for the ten years she's known seems appropriate, wouldn't you agree?" 

Jane nodded and turned her eyes toward Ashley. In seconds, an unbearable pain jolted through Ashley's body. Demetri wasn't letting her go and between his strong hold and the pain, a heartwrenching scream came out from her mouth. 

Rosalie closed her eyes. It didn't help. Emmett started shaking. " Let go of my daughter!" he exclaimed and motioned to move forward. Edward and Jasper grabbed him. He made it three steps forward. The grey wolf lunged forward but the others blocked his path. 

Ten seconds later, it all stopped. Ashley opened her eyes. Her legs were shaking and she was having trouble breathing. It was even worse than Victoria. 

" Daughter?" Aro questioned. " Surprising turn of events," he murmured. Rosalie stepped forward. " Yes, she is our daughter," 

Aro tilted his head. " May I?" he murmured. Rosalie was in front of him in a second. She reached out her hand as she looked at Ashley. She seemed sad and concerned for her. Aro took her hand. 

" Interesting," Aro whispered after he saw what Rosalie showed her. " Let her go, please," she pleaded, " If you must punish someone, take me, punish me, but please, please let her go," 

Marcus furrowed his brows. " You would give your life? For a mere mortal? You give up all of this for her?" 

Rosalie firmly nodded. " I would, in a heartbeat," 

Ashley burst into tears. Rosalie looked like she might cry if she had the ability. 

" Let me get this properly," Aro started, " This human is mated to one of the wolves?" 

" Mated?" Caius murmured. 

Rosalie nodded. " They are not werewolves," Edward said. " Not in the sense you think," he continued. " They are an Indian tribe. They are shifters, their ancestors chose the wolf to shift into. They are not the same kind of our enemies," 

Aro looked suspicious. " A diversion. Surely a tactic to save themselves," Caius hissed, " I know a beast when I see one," 

The black wolf stepped forward. " He can prove it," Edward said pointing at the wolf. 

" No! We've seen enough! Do you think us to be fools? You have allied with wolves, you have broken the law twice! You must pay!" Caius exclaimed. 

Aro turned to his brother. " We must gather all the evidence we can before deciding, brother," he said and motioned the wolf to step forward. The black wolf slowly walked toward them. Aro put up his hand to touch him.

The wolf growled. Aro glared. " Control your beast," he ordered. The wolf growled again. Then Aro slowly put up his hand again. It took a minute but he finally places his hand on the wolf. 

" It seems like our kind has run into these... shifters for a long time," he finally said. The black wolf took a few steps back, standing behind Rosalie. " Our presence in their lands forces these humans to become a wolf," 

Caius seemed stressed. " Impossible!" he cried. Aro turned to him. " Do you think they have deceived me, brother?" he hissed. Caius didn't reply. 

" It doesn't matter whether it is the beasts our brother claims they are or not. They have proven to be dangerous to our kind. We've seen it when they helped the Cullens destroy the newborn army. They are a threat to us," Marcus said. He wanted it to be over with it and he knew unless Aro and Caius were satisfied, it wouldn't be. 

Caius smirked. " That much is true," he said. Aro smiled. " They won't come after you unless you threaten their territory. You have no reason to do that, to come here. They are not a threat to you as long as you're not to them," Rosalie said. She sounded desperate. 

" You are protecting them?" Caius exclaimed toward Rosalie. Then he drifted his gaze toward the Cullens. " Are all of you? Staying in the same side with the beasts that can destroy you!" 

" They have no means to destroy us as long as we're on an understanding. And we are. They are not werewolves, that law is not broken by us as well," Carlisle said. 

" You have an excuse for everything, it seems Carlisle," Caius shot back. " I'm merely presenting you the reality," Carlisle replied calmly. 

Rosalie gulped. " It is their most holy law. If you hurt one of their mates, they will attack. We have managed to avoid that so far, please, please let her go," 

Caius seemed offended. He didn't believe that, no matter their numbers, these beasts couldn't get the best of them. 

" She's right," Alice announced, " If you harm her, they'll have a justified reason to attack," she continued. All of the wolves growled, supporting what she said. 

" We've never been afraid," Aro said, " If it came to that," 

Ashley didn't feel like she could stand up anymore or even stay conscious. She thought they could get through this too, her whole family, but it seemed like their luck ran out. Someone was going to get hurt. 

And in that small moment of clarity, she was glad. She knew her family was immortal and all, but she was glad it was her. She was already going to leave them behind in this life sometime, they all knew it, it just had to be shorter than they imagined. 

" It's okay," she coaked, to everyone who could hear. Rosalie looked at her in disbelief. " It's okay," she repeated herself with the last of her energy. 

The grey wolf whimpered and Rosalie tried to plead with her. It was to no avail. " Not that we could take orders from a human... You might not have created an immortal child, you may not have aligned with werewolves but you have revealed our secret to humans. Twice. One of them is handled, the other is not. Your disobedience cannot be tolerated anymore. This is your punishment, accept it or else," Aro said. 

He turned to the twins. " Alec, Jane," he said. Ashley took a deep breath and looked at her family one last time. This was the end. ' I love you' she mouthed to her mother and looked at Alec. Black smoke had come out of his hands and made its way toward her. 

Demetri let her go and she fell to the snow. The smoke covered her. She heard her mothers screams, her family's shouts, and multiple growling. Soon, silence filled it. She no longer saw the hooded vampires or the snow or the trees that were around them. 

The bitter taste in her mouth vanished. Her head injury's pain faded. She couldn't smell the forest anymore. She could only feel her body, on a soft surface. It should have been cold, she was out in the snow without proper wear, but she didn't feel it. 

She didn't feel anything. Then, the same pain from before covered her entire body. She tried to scream, to move, to do anything but it was like she was a prisoner in her own mind. She was numb, she couldn't see, hear, smell, or feel anything. Anything but that pain. 

Rosalie had to be held by Felix and Demetri. She was trying to grip free and save her daughter. 

Emmett was held back by Jasper, Edward, and the nomad Peter. 

Paul was tackled to the ground by Jared and Seth. 

Leah was put to the ground by Quil and Embry. 

Esme was hugging Bella. 

Jasper and Alice were retrained by the Denali's. 

Sam was surrounded by the other members of the Volturi Guard. 

After a minute, Rosalie fell to her knees for there were only two heartbeats in the clearing anymore. And they belonged to the two half-mortal half-immortal children. 

Aro smiled. " Now that it's handled, this is your final warning. Disobey again and we won't be so generous," he said. " The Cullens have paid their price for their crimes. It is done," he announced. His witnesses slowly started to disappear into the woods. 

When it was only him, he turned to Carlisle. " Final warning," he said and disappeared again. 

Rosalie was by her daughter's body the second she was set free. She grabbed her body and hugged her. She was sobbing. Emmett was by her side afterward. " CARLISLE! CARLISLE!" she started shrieking. 

" SAVE HER! SAVE HER! TURN HER!" she started screaming. A wolf growled and kneeled down next to her body. Paul. He didn't seem to object to it. " DO IT! DO IT!" 

Carlisle kneeled down next to Rosalie. " I can't! She doesn't have a heartbeat anymore," he said in a low tone. 

Rosalie heard screams. They were not their own. Maybe Esme's or Alice's. She didn't care. She didn't care anymore. The sole thing she was terrified of had become a reality. 

Edward had an opinion. He dragged Kate toward them. " Kate, your power. Zap her, it could bring her back!" he exclaimed. 

" What about the Volturi? If they find out... they'd come to settle it once and for all again," one of the Romanians said. 

Emmett stood up and grabbed his collars. " I don't give a fuck. If you won't help, get lost scum!" he roared. 

" Kate, please," Esme said between her sobs. 

Kate gulped. She looked at Garett who nodded at her. She kneeled down next to Ashley. " How powerful it needs to be?" she asked. Carlisle furrowed his brows. " Test it on me, I'll let you know," 

So Kate zapped him a few times to get the correct voltage. 

" That's it," Carlise said, out of breath. " Do it, now! Before it's too late," 

Kate did as she was told. Nothing happened at the first time. " Again," Carlisle ordered. Kate obliged. " Again!" Carlisle exclaimed, biting into his fist with anxiety. 

They all stood silent to hear one more heartbeat. Even if it was faint, they all waited to hear that sound. It didn't come. 

Emmett grabbed Kate's hand and pressed it into Ashley's chest again. " AGAIN!" he ordered. Kate did as told and Emmett growled with the pain. 

" No, no, no, no," Bella murmured. 

Alice hugged Jasper, not being able to look at the scene.

Esme hit the ground with her fists. 

Rosalie screamed. 

They all looked frozen like statues. Devastated with their loss. 

" Wait..." Carlisle slowly whispered. " Stop, stop, don't make a sound," 

He leaned closer to Ashley's body and listened. They all listened. He let out a small chuckle. " I hear it! I hear a faint heartbeat!" 

They brought Ashley back to the house. Carlisle immediately started working on her. The vampires were waiting outside, he didn't let anyone into the house fearing they might lose control. The Cullens were guarding them. The pack was there as well, waiting in their wolf forms. 

Edward walked toward Rosalie and Emmett. " Edward, go away, I can't deal with you right now," Rosalie growled at him. Edward heard her thoughts. He had been hearing them for a while now. 

She was blaming him. It all came to this because he wanted to be with Bella. She was against this from the start and she was fearing something like this could happen. And it did, she blamed him. 

And right now, Edward didn't oppose that. 

" I know... I'm sorry," he whispered. Emmett looked up at him. " Go," he said, turning his hands into fists. 

Edward nodded. " Okay, but I need to say something first," he said. Rosalie looked up at him, shooting daggers out of her eyes. " I said no!" she exclaimed. 

The next second, she was on top of her and they were on the ground. 

Edward wasn't stopping her and he was taking her hits. 

Emmett grabbed his wife. " Rose, enough," he said to her. Rosalie glared at Edward for a minute then let him go. Edward slowly got up. " One minute, that's all I'm asking for, then I'll stay away," he said. 

Emmett thought he was pushing it too far. Rosalie wanted to hurt him. " Please," Edward said. Emmett held his wife's hand. " One minute and not a second more," 

The three of them walked away from the crows and into the forest. Edward took a deep breath when he stopped. " You know what happens after this right?" he asked. 

" If you mean your death, yes," Rosalie snapped. Edward shook his head. " Not that. The Romanians were right. If the Volturi find out she's alive, she will be in danger once again," 

Rosalie scoffed. " You mean you and your precious family will be in danger," 

Edward sighed. " Yes, but Ashley has suffered enough. She has been in danger because of my actions and decisions. I know that. But the Volturi can't know she is still alive, they'll be watching," 

" She needs to die," he said. Emmett's head snapped back. " What the fuck are you saying?" he roared. Edward put his hands up in the air. " Not literally. On paper, Ashley Cullen needs to die," 

Rosalie gulped. " You're right," she whispered. " Alice and Jasper have a guy... He can do it. But you need to be ready," Edward said. He looked at them. Now that he was a parent as well, he could truly understand how hard it has been for them. Why Rosalie was the way she was.

" And I'm sorry that I put you through all of this, I really am. If you can forgive me one day, if there's a chance, I'll wait and hope for that day," he said and walked away from them. 

Rosalie hugged Emmett. " This is the only way, right?" she whispered. Emmett kissed her hair. " It is," he murmured.


	37. Epilogue

* Fifteen years later*

Ashley awoke to screams. When she opened her eyes, she saw the twins on the bed, jumping. Paul was kneeling next to them, ready to catch them if they fell. 

" Looks like you guys woke Mommy up," he chuckled. 

The twins cheered. " Yayyy!!! Mommy, Daddy made us breakfast, come," 

Ashley chuckled. " Alright, alright," she said. 

Paul grabbed the twins and put them onto the ground. They raced each other to the kitchen. " Five minutes," Ashley groaned as she sat up. Paul leaned on for a quick kiss. " I'll try," he smiled. 

Paul followed after the kids while Ashley went to the bathroom. The last fifteen years were like a dream. Carlisle managed to save her. But Ashley Cullen died that day. Charlie Swan wrote it down as a car accident. 

Alice and Jasper's guy made her a fake I.D. She was now Ashley Hale. She and Paul went into hiding for a year in Seattle, then she started school again. Paul got a job in a mechanics shop like he said. He now owned the place. After Ashley recovered from the Volturi attacked, she and Paul worked out their problems.

Ashley had graduated and started working in an architecture firm. They got married seven years ago and then had the twins four years ago. 

But Ashley had to give her family up. She couldn't see them. They only talked on the phone a couple of times. They couldn't be together physically anymore. The Volturi were watching them. 

But her family had been there for her. Just from afar. 

They were at the wedding. They watched it from the hill. They were outside of the hospital when Ashley gave birth. They specifically requested a room overlooking the parking lot so that the Cullens could see it from the window. 

When they went back to La Push to visit the pack, they would pass by each other on the road. Not saying a word. Ashley, Paul, and the twins would take walks inside the forest, close to the treaty line and the Cullens could see them from afar. 

Whenever they went on a family vacation, the Cullens, especially Rosalie and Emmett were there. Watching them from afar. Still looking over her shoulder to protect her and seeing her happy. 

Leah and Brad got together. They had one son so far. Kim and Jared were the first couple to get married after Sam and Emily. All of their children were close friends. Leah and Emily had made up and they were close just like they use to be. Sam and Emily had two children. 

In the fifteen years, Ashley only met her family physically once. On the twins' third birthday, they met up at Island Esme. Ashley, Paul, and the kids went to Brazil for the birthday. The Cullens happened to be in Brazil, in the Takuna tribe, visiting Nahuel and his aunt. They secretly made their way to the Island. 

Ashley still remembered the moment her family showed up. The way she hugged them for minutes. The way she cried. She was grateful for her life, but she missed her family too. She cried even more when she introduced her kids to her family. 

Rosie Hale-Lahote and Jax Hale-Lahote.

Ashley Cullen was dead. But Ashley Hale-Lahote had a life. She had a job, she was with the man she loved. She had kids, she had a life. Like her mother always wanted for her. 

And she named her daughter after her mother. Rosie was an exact image of Rosalie. Which really surprised Ashley since they weren't actually related by blood. And there were Paul's genes as well, but Rosie turned out just like Rosalie. Jax was the physical copy of Paul. 

Ashley was glad Rosie was like her mother. It would honor her mother. One Rosalie Hale didn't get to live her life, grow old with someone she loved, surrounded by her grandkids. The next one would get to do that. She would make sure of that.

Ashley would grow old with Paul, living her life to the fullest. Her kids and even grandkids would be by their side when they finally left this Earth. And she would have lived a happy life, full of happiness, loving Paul to the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking this journey with me from the start... And thank you so much for your support throughout the story! Hope you liked it!
> 
> EDIT: I have published my new Twilight story, you can find it in my profile. It is called "Blood Is Thicker Than Water". I would love it if you checked it out as well!


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